


Dead of Night

by Sunflowersamurai



Category: Bleach
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon Divergent, Captivity, Demon Sex, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, First Love, Fisting, Gentle Sex, Gore, Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, Kidnapping, Lemon, Monster sex, Sexual Tension, Smut, Violence, demon fucking, demon kink, monster fucking, monster kink, ulquihime
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2020-01-30
Packaged: 2020-10-12 21:55:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20571530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sunflowersamurai/pseuds/Sunflowersamurai
Summary: Ulquiorra had one, sole purpose for his existence; to serve Aizen until his final breath. He had planned to do exactly that, until Aizen sends him on a mission to abduct a human woman with odd powers.She's bright, charming, and an absolute spitfire when it comes to dealing with the enemy. But most importantly, she sees right through Ulquiorra from the very moment they met, and now Ulquiorra has to face the fact that this woman has stirred something in him, something he's never felt before.And Ulquiorra is afraid of what that something might do to him.





	1. Encounter

Ulquiorra sulked a way off from the assembled crowd, thumbing the lining of his pockets while glowering at the other Arrancar, particularly Nnoitora. The Quinta always left a disgusting taste in his mouth, and he was always scheming with those shifty eyes. Ulquiorra being the Cuarta meant he was the first logical target in Nnoitora’s quest to usurp the Espada until he could call himself _Primera._

It would never come to fruition, of course, as the moment Ulquiorra had just cause to do so, he intended to kill Nnoitora. The task would be easy, Nnoitora was too arrogant for his own good, and Ulquiorra never trifled with his opponents longer than he had to. If he fought, he killed. He didn’t play with his food, so to speak.

Ulquiorra’s thoughts were thoroughly sullied when his mood grew even fouler at the sight of the Sexta, Grimmjow.

Not as dreaded an annoyance as Nnoitora, but ever talented at grinding Ulquiorra’s nerves to a pulp, the hyper-aggressive number six was stalking the perimeter of the room, eyeing the gathered Espada with a mix of impatience and hostility. Grimmjow had never learned respect for Aizen, no matter how many times he’d been thoroughly trounced by the Reapers unfathomable power. The other Espada had quickly fallen in line, but Grimmjow continued to cause a scene whenever possible.

His blue eyes caught sight of Ulquiorra, narrowing furiously before he spat out a hiss at him. Ulquiorra glared levelly back, thinking if his temper were shorter, he’d long ago have murdered Grimmjow for his insolence.

Ulquiorra drifted closer to Starrk, the Primera, as he lounged near Tier, the Tercera. Both Starrk and Tier were far more compatible with Ulquiorra’s nature than the rest of the Espada. Starrk was a bit lazy for his taste, and he often rambled about his feelings much to Ulquiorra’s annoyance, but he was a laid-back person, and Ulquiorra found him easy to be around. Tier even more so. She was serious and diligent like he was, she always said what she meant, she was powerful, yet fair, and Ulquiorra had an almost friendly acquaintanceship with her.

They had another commonality, an intense loyalty to their cause, and to Aizen. Rarely, if ever, had Ulquiorra disagreed with her analysis or suggestions. In fact, he found she often thought of things even he hadn’t.

His reprieve was short lived as Nnoitora found his way over to him. Ulquiorra’s emerald green eyes narrowed malevolently at him, but Nnoitora was undeterred as usual.

He sauntered up to tower over Ulquiorra, sneering down at him while his voice grated Ulquiorra’s ears, “Yo, I was asking around to see what th’hell this meeting’s about. You heard anything?”

Ulquiorra ignored him, Tier gave him a calloused glare, and Starrk shifted his weight awkwardly.

Nnoitora was always quick tempered, and he gave Ulquiorra a rough shove, attempting to provoke the number four. Ulquiorra stumbled hard, but refused to acknowledge the brute and his physical provocations.

Nnoitora was even more annoyed by that, “You’re all stuck up asses, y’know that?”

Starrk shrugged nonchalantly, “We haven’t heard anything either. And since when does Aizen share his plans with us _before _a meeting? If he did that, we wouldn’t _need _a meeting.”

Ulquiorra concurred while Tier took her leave with Apacci, one of her servant Fracciones, “I’m sure Aizen will tell us why we’re gathered when he gets here. So why don’t you do an exercise in patience or at the very least, go breathe that rank breath in someone else’s air.”

Starrk sniffed in amusement, and Nnoitora grabbed Ulquiorra by his collar, “You wanna fight Ulquiorra, is that it?”

Ulquiorra gazed back, Nnoitora was kidding himself if he thought he could have an actual fight with Ulquiorra, “Get your nasty hands off me.”

Nnoitora snarled at him, but his lanky body withdrew, “Whatever you say, **_Cuarta._**”

Ulquiorra scoffed at him, brushing his collar as though to clear away some invisible grime left behind.

Nnoitora stalked off and Starrk cracked his neck, “That one’s a real pain, huh?”

Ulquiorra was going to reply when a new Reiatsu became distinguished in the room. He, Starrk, and Tier turned to spot Aizen’s lieutenants, Kaname and Gin, clearing a path through the Arrancar. Aizen followed shortly, the sheer force of his presence silencing the room instantly. As the lower-ranking Arrancar scattered to the edges of the room, the Espada found their places at the table, standing in wait until Aizen had taken his seat at the head of the table before taking their own. Kaname and Gin sat to either side, and the Espada were free to choose their own seats. Tier sat next to Kaname, and Ulquiorra took a seat next to Starrk at the end opposite of Aizen. Grimmjow sat across from him, apparently spiting Aizen more than Ulquiorra for the moment, and Nnoitora dropped himself with a pronounced ‘thump’ into the chair beside Starrk, prompting the Primera to lazily rest his cheek in his palm while tracing a circle with his free hand.

A low growl rumbled from Grimmjow, “You gonna tell us why we’re here now?”

A couple nervous glances drifted his way, but Aizen seemed unbothered, “There’s no rush. Let’s sit and eat together first, then I’ll share the news.”

Grimmjow’s throaty growl grew louder, “You gotta be kidding me. Is this a fuckin tea party or a meeting?”

Aizen’s eyes narrowed most faintly, “Grimmjow.”

The Espada steadied themselves as Aizen’s Reiatsu suddenly increased. It was only for a brief moment, but it was enough to silence Grimmjow and send the weaker Fracciones sprawling.

Grimmjow and Aizen locked eyes for a moment. Ulquiorra saw Grimmjow draw a large sigh before settling in and looking away from Aizen, who looked satisfied by the submissive response.

The Fracciones were still pressing to the walls to get as far from the immense power source as they could, and Aizen turned to address them smoothly, “You are all dismissed.”

The Fracciones looked as though they couldn’t get out of there quickly enough, barring a couple of the friskier one’s who were always vying for Aizen’s attention.

When they lingered, Aizen shot them a warning glance, “Out.”

Jolted into motion by his seriousness, they quickly saw themselves out, leaving the Espada to their meeting.

Aizen had food and tea served to the Espada, though the demons didn’t need to eat, they could still enjoy the taste of food, which was a luxury in Hueco Mundo. A tense silence descended as the thirteen gathered members ate. Ulquiorra was content with the silence, it beat the irritating chatter any day, but he was growing increasingly intent on hearing why Aizen had gathered them, but the Lord of Hueco Mundo was taking his leisure, enjoying his tea with lowered eyes.

Ulquiorra sometimes wondered what he thought about at times like this. Aizen was gently swirling his cup, a passive look on his face, but a look filled with intention his eyes.

Ulquiorra finished quickly, finding himself annoyed by Grimmjow, who was scratching his claws against the table in anticipation, creating a wretched noise as they scored over the wood.

Ulquiorra was about to snap at him when Aizen set his cup down, signaling the beginning of him addressing the Espada.

He drew a deep breath, releasing a pleased sigh, “I’m sure you’re all anxious for what I have to say. Let me start by saying this,” Aizen caught Ulquiorra’s eye, causing him to sit up straight, “I have a mission to the human world, there’s a Soul Reaper I’m curious of. There are also two others already on my radar, and I need to know whether they’ll be a nuisance in the future. My time in Soul Society told me all I needed to know of the Gotei 13, but I don’t like leaving things to chance, and I haven’t a grasp on these particular three.”

Aizen looked over the gathered demons, Tier speaking when he paused, “Lord Aizen, I would be willing to scout these Reapers for you.”

Aizen shook his head, “I appreciate it, but no. I need the top three here with me for a different task that I’ll explain to you in private once I’ve worked out the details.”

Tier nodded, “Of course.”

Grimmjow perked up, his fangs baring in a wicked smile, “Then let me go! I’ll tear ‘em apart so there’ll be nothing left for you to worry about.”

Aizen silenced him with a calm wave, “I’ve already chosen who will go, please, allow me to finish.”

Grimmjow grumbled, but sat down as Aizen continued, “Yammy,”

Yammy, the Decima, jolted in surprise, his booming voice chirping excitedly, “Me? I get to go, Lord Aizen?”

Aizen nodded, “Yes. And Ulquiorra. You will accompany him to supervise in case any unforeseen issues arise.”

Ulquiorra groaned internally, but dipped his head towards Aizen, “Yes, Lord Aizen. May I ask something?”

Aizen gave him an amicable look, “Of course, Ulquiorra.”

Ulquiorra met his warm brown eyes steadily, “When you say ‘unforeseen events’, are you referring to that Reaper you mentioned?”

Aizen hummed, seeming to be thinking, “Hmm… Perhaps.”

Ulquiorra frowned more that usual, _how vague, Lord Aizen._

Aizen seemed to sense his doubt because he continued, “Ulquiorra, you will have no problem… suppressing… any resistance you might meet. So, don’t worry. I’m sending you so I can receive a detailed report of any oddities, that’s all.”

Ulquiorra acknowledged him, “Of course. I’ll be sure to deliver.”

Aizen gave him a faint smile, “I know you will. You always do. It’s the very reason you exist.”

Aizen went on, assigning the Espada other roles while Yammy and Ulquiorra were out. At the end of the meeting, he summoned the Cuarta and Decima to his chambers for further instructions, dismissing the other Espada for the time being.

Ulquiorra stood before Aizen, who was slouched a bit in his chair, looking confident and at ease. Yammy stood behind Ulquiorra, his booming voice sounding in Ulquiorra’s ears every time the over-excited number ten interrupted with questions.

Ulquiorra ground his teeth, _what an annoying brute…_

Despite his scathing thoughts, Ulquiorra at least appreciated that Yammy was a simple creature, if an irritating one. Yammy, though unmannered and crass, respected his superiors, and he wasn’t the scheming type. Ulquiorra could at least be at ease that Yammy wasn’t constantly eyeing the number tattooed over his left chest.

Upon yet another interruption, Aizen huffed a mildly annoyed sigh, “Yammy. Stop talking.”

Yammy snapped his mouth shut, “I’m sorry, Lord Aizen!”

Aizen rubbed his temple for a moment, “All right, thank you, as I was saying- Ulquiorra, you’re in charge.”

Yammy, honest to whatever god was out there, couldn’t help himself, “Lord Aizen?”

Aizen pursed his lips, “What is it, Yammy?”

Ulquiorra glared at Yammy with disgust as he spoke, “How are we gonna find these Reapers?”

Aizen looked faintly surprised, “That’s actually a decent question,” Yammy perked up as if that were a compliment, “Use whatever means necessary. Personally, I’d suggest causing a scene. These Reapers are the type to come running towards any commotion they hear of.”

Ulquiorra nodded, “Underst-”

Yammy’s voice split the air, “**Can I kill someone?”**

Ulquiorra’d had enough, and he backhanded the Decima, making solid c0ntact with his gut and earning a yelp from the behemoth.

Yammy fell to the floor, a loud ‘boom’ following. He looked up at Ulquiorra with round, confused eyes, “What was that for?”

Ulquiorra heaved in irritation, “I’m going to cut your face in half so you can never utter another wretched sound as long as you exist.”

Yammy shrank away from him, “What did I do?”

Aizen snapped his fingers, immediately getting the squabbling duo to correct themselves, “Temper, temper, Ulquiorra.”

Ulquiorra gave him a deep bow, “My apologies, Lord Aizen.”

Yammy murmured, or at least, he thought he did, “Where’s my apology? That really hurt, Ulquiorra…”

Ulquiorra tempered himself, he was usually cool and level, but something had him unsettled lately, and his nerves were fraying quickly.

He glanced at Yammy, not at all sincere, “I apologize, but please, learn when to shut up.”

Yammy look conflicted, “Uh, okay.”

Aizen sighed, Ulquiorra couldn’t tell whether he was amused or annoyed, “All right, then, you two ought to leave as soon as you can.”

Ulquiorra gave a polite nod while Yammy blabbered in excitement, “Man! It’s been so forever since I got to go and fuck shit up!”

A harsh glare from the Cuarta made Yammy stumble to a halt, “Uh, sorry, Lord Aizen.”

Aizen had one brow slightly raised, still looking patient as ever, “It’s fine. Then, I leave it to you, Ulquiorra.”

Ulquiorra sighed, adding to himself, _Why did it have to be me?_

Ulquiorra led Yammy through the long, tall hallways of Las Noches towards the nearest bridge where he could safely open a Garganta, the portal between Hueco Mundo and the human world.

Now, Ulquiorra knew he could do so safely from within Las Noches, but Aizen disagreed, stating Ulquiorra’s Reiatsu was second only to his own, and even releasing a little of it to open the portal would likely cause damage to the palace. And as it always was, Aizen’s word was final.

One of Yammy’s massive hands landed hard on Ulquiorra’s shoulder, making the small Espada stumble, “Isn’t this great, Ulquiorra? I wonder if those Reapers are strong? Oh, do you think I’ll get to fight? **I hope I get to fight!**”

Ulquiorra’s eye twitched, their earlier fight was clearly forgotten in that empty head of his, “I suppose it’s possible. Aizen felt strongly enough to send us, so there’s a chance these Reapers will fight.”

Yammy shivered, letting out some kind of excited half moan half howl, “I’m so excited my whole body is hot and tingling!”

Ulquiorra gagged, “Don’t **_ever _**say that in my presence again or I really will kill you.”

Yammy pouted, “Why’re ya always so grumpy anyway? Ain’t ya happy to just be alive? Get to kill shit, get to eat, you can talk and yell! Hell, it’s like I’m a human all over again, only better!”

Ulquiorra gave him a deadpan look, “No. I’m not happy, and we’re not alive.”

Yammy mumbled, “Yer kinda an ass, y’know?”

Ulquiorra growled at him, “Bite me.”

Ulquiorra opened the Garganta, Yammy wasting no time leaping into it. Ulquiorra dragged his feet for a moment after Yammy disappeared into the Cimmerian void.

He drew a deep breath, an odd sensation was nagging him. He took a long look around Las Noches, towering quartz walls gleamed in the artificial light, and the massive dome of the main building loomed high over Ulquiorra. But his gaze drifted out towards the vast, empty deserts. A pleasant darkness cloaked the land beyond the white walls, its only light from the stationary, ever crescent moon. Ulquiorra preferred the quiet, eternal dimness. His palace wing was the only one that had windows facing the white deserts, and he’d made sure the only window in his quarters faced the wide-open landscape.

He sighed the breath he’d been holding, not at all looking forward to the task ahead, then stepped into the yawning abyss before him.

Ulquiorra pointed his toe, landing softly in the grass, screwing his eyes up at the harsh sunlight. Unsuspecting humans hadn’t even noticed the small demon-man or his graceful descent from the Garganta still yawning above his head.

His stealthy approach was short lived as Yammy came barreling out after him with a booming cry of joy, his feet slamming into the ground with a noisy ‘thump’. Additionally, Yammy’s Reiatsu pulsed from him in his excitement, causing all the people in the immediate area to whip around and screech in horror at the sight of them.

Ulquiorra shot him a scathing glance, but Yammy hardly caught his eye, “Now this is fun! I love causing a scene!”

Ulquiorra grumbled, “Really? I couldn’t tell.”

Yammy didn’t react to his sarcasm, instead he turned to the petrified onlookers, “Ulquiorra! Give me the order!”

Ulquiorra sighed, at least Yammy respected their ranks, “Just stay out of my way and don’t make me clean up after you.”

Yammy broke into a wild grin, “Thanks man! Yo! You!”

Yammy singled out a poor soul from the crowd, who let out a piercing scream as the brute moved in on him. Scores of panicked people began running in every direction, one woman even crashed into Ulquiorra, nearly carrying him off his feet. He let out a displeased grunt, glaring at her before she realized what she’d just done. Ulquiorra swore she turned whiter than he was before she came to her senses and ran as fast as she could away from him. He let her go, he didn’t really care to waste his time chasing her, or anyone else here, down in order to kill them.

Ulquiorra brushed off a smooth boulder before sitting on it and closing his eyes, pointedly away from where Yammy was causing a fuss. Ulquiorra half opened one eye when a corpse cracked hard against a tree not far from where he was sitting.

He scoffed to himself, _How senseless… All this for a few Reapers’ attention._

Yammy’s elated hollering assaulted Ulquiorra’s ears while he waited to sense any approaching Reiatsu. Yammy was picking off the last survivors when Ulquiorra stood up, dusting himself off before going to reign the rampaging Decima back in.

He shoved his hands in his pockets, _Seems this was a waste after all…_

Yammy was tossing a corpse like a toy when Ulquiorra barked at him, “Yammy!”

Yammy jumped at his voice, “Sir!”

Ulquiorra scowled, “We’re done here. We should move on.”

Yammy glanced around, “You sure? I think that one’s still twitching.”

Ulquiorra stepped over the body he mentioned, not sparing a glance, “Leave him. He’ll die on his own.”

Yammy made a face, but he followed without argument. As Ulquiorra stepped nonchalantly down some cobblestone steps, he noticed two people, a brutish looking man and a young woman with firebird hair, running directly towards them.

Ulquiorra raised a brow ever so slightly, _Oh?_

They skidded to a halt in front of the two Espada, the large man stepping forward. Ulquiorra looked them over for a moment before scoffing, but Yammy shoved past him with an excited yap, “You run the wrong way or something?”

Ulquiorra turned his back, stepping around the two, but he was blocked by the man, “Sorry, I can’t let you out of here.”

Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes, but Yammy cackled from behind him, “Is that right!?”

Ulquiorra’s gaze flickered momentarily to the woman standing just a pace behind him. She had mute colored eyes, but when they caught the sunlight, Ulquiorra thought he caught a violet hue to them. She met his eyes for a moment, narrowing her own in a kind of fearless determination.

Ulquiorra turned his collar to her, his attention back on Yammy where he was squaring up with the man.

Ulquiorra was about to tell him not to bother, but the woman spoke from behind him, “Chad! Be careful! Let’s just try to hold them here until Ichigo gets here!”

Ulquiorra nearly burst out laughing at the absurdity, turning a harsh glare on her, “You? Hold us here? Ridiculous.”

The woman turned a surprisingly fierce glare on him, “Watch us!”

Ulquiorra made a face, while Yammy chattered excitedly, “That’s more like it! Ulquiorra! Let’s do this!”

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes, “Nonsense. Yammy! You should be able to tell with a single glance, these people, every one of them, they’re trash,” he glowered at the woman, “Absolute trash.”

She glared back at him, undaunted, while Yammy groaned in disappointment, “Can’t I kill them anyway?”

Ulquiorra snorted in annoyance, but he glanced at the woman again, “That name earlier, Ichigo was it? Is he a friend of yours?”

The orange haired woman stuck her nose up to him in protest, earning an amused huff from Ulquiorra at her stubbornness.

Ulquiorra glanced between them, “You won’t tell us? Fine then,” he took a couple strides towards the woman, narrowing his eyes with hostility, “I’ll just force it out of you. I wonder, how many bones will I break before you talk?”

The woman took a step at him, closing the space and meeting his eyes. Ulquiorra was admittedly impressed with her bravery, enough so that he tipped his head back with the faintest smirk.

He watched her for a moment, _This woman is calling my bluff, how amusing._

Ulquiorra turned his gaze towards the man, they’d come here together, and Ulquiorra knew how soft humans were, “Well, what will it be?”

The man named Chad looked terribly conflicted, so Ulquiorra continued, “I’ll start with her.”

The woman didn’t waver, but Chad did, “Don’t!”

Ulquiorra looked back to him, _How predictable._

Chad spoke again, “Yes, Ichigo is our friend.”

Yammy chimed in, “Now, was that so hard?”

Chad squared off with Yammy, “Inoue! We have to fight!”

The woman turned a determined look on Ulquiorra, who merely questioned her again, “Tell me, if you would, your friend, is he by any chance a Soul Reaper?”

Inoue’s eyes widened at that, “What?”

Ulquiorra gave a satisfied nod before retreating to a spot in the shade, “Yammy! Go ahead and have some fun.”

Yammy broke into a wild grin, glaring at Chad. Ulquiorra added to the woman, Inoue, “If I were you, I’d stay out the way.”

Inoue glared at him, but Ulquiorra reclined against a tree, closing his eyes. After a moment, she turned her attention to Chad and Yammy, inching closer towards them.

Ulquiorra half opened one eye as Chad began emitting a trivial amount of Reiatsu. His arm took a new shape, but Ulquiorra quickly lost interest again, knowing this fight would last only seconds.

He glanced up at the leaves in the tree, sunlight glittering down through them. He watched them rustle in a breeze, he’d never seen anything like that in Hueco Mundo.

He sighed, looking languidly towards Yammy as the first blow was delivered by Chad. His apparently enhanced fist bounced clean off Yammy, who gave an evil smile. Ulquiorra merely blinked when Yammy’s punch landed in return.

Chad was instantly crushed beneath the force, the bones in his arm were entirely obliterated. His body was thrown violently into the ground, Ulquiorra could feel it shake beneath his feet. A cascade of blood erupted from Chad, showering the grass and Yammy who screeched in delight.

Yammy landed another punch, the ground agonized beneath Chad and a cloud of dust, sand and blood billowed into the air. Chad’s body dropped limp, misshapen and angled awkwardly.

Yammy towered over him, “Is that it! You looked so brawny and brutish! Don’t tell me that’s all you got you big beast!”

Yammy landed one more punch, earning a horrified screech from Inoue, “Stop it!”

The woman rushed towards her fallen friend, not a second thought to it. Yammy gave her a wild grin, drawing his arm back, hand balled in a fist that was nearly half her size. In an instant, she brought her hands forward, and Ulquiorra’s eyes widened in shock when Yammy’s fist ricocheted back.

Ulquiorra stood up straight as the woman was thrown off her feet from the force of deflecting the behemoth. There was a faint yellow hue before her, Ulquiorra had nearly missed it with how quickly she’d summoned it.

His eyes narrowed in the bright light, _A human blocked Yammy? And such a small one?_

Yammy reeled, a furious howl erupting from his chest, “What th’hell?!”

The woman scrambled back to her feet, “Chad!”

She made another move towards him, but Yammy struck with twice the speed this time. Ulquiorra cringed at the horrible sound as his fist collided with her small body. She was flung savagely against a tree near where Ulquiorra was standing. Her body hit with so much force that the trunk cracked as she dropped onto the grass.

Ulquiorra watched her as she lay motionless, he’d never liked to see women get so brutally treated. He had no idea why he felt this way, he didn’t care for life in general, but seeing such savage behavior displeased him greatly. He came to stand over her body, blood soaked her pale yellow sweater, and her hand twitched slightly from where it was pinned beneath her.

He took his foot and gently rolled her over. She flopped onto her back, her fiery hair obscuring her eyes. He gazed down at her for a long moment, but she didn’t stir.

Ulquiorra let out a small sigh, _That’s a shame. There was a moment I thought her ability would be interesting._

Ulquiorra turned away, “Yammy.”

Yammy stopped kicking Chad’s body, “What’s up?”

Ulquiorra glanced lazily away, “Never mind. We’re done. These two are trash, just like I told you.”

Yammy made a face, “Yeah, I guess you’re right. You think that Reaper’s coming?”

Ulquiorra watched a cloud pass through the sky above them, completely disinterested, “Ichigo, was it? I’m doubtful.”

Yammy kicked some dust, “Damn. That’s no fun.”

Ulquiorra was about to say something, but a hand grabbed his ankle, faintly startling him. He looked down to see the woman gripping his ankle, her breath heaving out as she trembled.

She looked up at Ulquiorra, and he wondered if she had any idea what she was doing. She heaved a couple times, reaching up and gripping him by the tie around his waist that held Murciélago. Inoue managed to get to a crouching position, and Ulquiorra could see the faint yellow glow again.

He watched as she reached with her other hand, boldly gripping his collar before hauling herself up. She steadied herself against his shoulder, Ulquiorra tipped his head just a tad taken aback by her gall.

He was about to ask if she even realized who she was grabbing when she heaved a final gasp before standing on her own feet and glaring spitefully at him. She stumbled into him as she passed him, and he let her. Ulquiorra was so entranced by her fearlessness that he only watched her as she dropped to her knees next to Chad’s body. She gripped her side with an agonized look, but she stayed focused and hovered her hands over him.

Curiosity stirred in him, and he stopped Yammy with a wave. Ulquiorra walked over to her, standing over her right shoulder. She glanced back but didn’t stop even for an instant. He watched closely as the light enveloped Chad’s body before carefully observing Inoue. Her bones should have been crushed beyond repair, but she was moving well considering how hard Yammy had struck her. He was tempted to touch her arm and see for himself, but he settled on watching how her ability worked.

She was quivering as she leaned over her friend, an intense look of focus and pain twisting her face. Ulquiorra watched silently as she worked, noticing the mangled body beginning to heal.

Ulquiorra’s eyes narrowed to small slits, _No… it seems more than that… but, I don’t know what._

He leaned a tad closer, causing Inoue to shift her weight a bit. Ulquiorra made sure to watch everything she did, knowing Aizen would want to see what this ability was that would allow a human to block a punch from Yammy and to so rapidly heal extensive wounds.

After a while, Ulquiorra noticed Chad’s wounds were largely healed, _That’s rather amazing. Even an Arrancar couldn’t heal such awful wounds so quickly and thoroughly._

Ulquiorra looked back at her, “Tell me, woman, what is-”

As Ulquiorra spoke, a new Reiatsu erupted. Ulquiorra broke off what he was saying, recognizing the texture immediately, _A Soul Reaper. It took him long enough._

As if on cue, a young man in the standard Reaper guard landed on the grass before the two Espada. He had orange hair too, but it was far duller than Inoue’s and it didn’t catch the sun like her long hair did.

He took in the sight of his friends and his face twisted in rage, “What… the hell do you think you’re doing?”

His amber eyes blazed with pure rage, and he wasted no time drawing his Zanpakuto and aiming it at them.

Yammy stepped forward while Ulquiorra stayed put near Inoue. Ichigo’s eyes darted between them, and he seemed to sense that Yammy was the more immediate threat, so he turned his attention there.

Yammy pushed his way to the front of them, glowering at Ichigo, “Yo! You Ichigo?”

Ichigo’s eyes locked with Inoue’s, Ulquiorra glanced down at her to see the firm look she gave him in return, “Kurosaki… Go. I’ll take care of Chad.”

Ulquiorra lifted a brow at her certainty, but Ichigo nodded, “Inoue, I’ll handle this. Just stay back now, okay?”

Ulquiorra scoffed, _Telling her to sit back after she so boldly confronted us. That’s insulting._

Inoue nodded, turning all her focus onto Chad. Ulquiorra put his hands back in his pockets, “Yammy. Handle him.”

Yammy howled in joy, “You got it boss!!”

Ichigo let out a furious growl, “How dare you. How dare you…”

Yammy let out a battle cry before bringing his fist down with all his might at Ichigo, who quickly blocked with his Zanpakuto. Ichigo dug his heels in, losing a couple yards from the force of Yammy’s punch, but Ulquiorra was mildly impressed that he blocked with relative ease.

Ichigo hissed with frustration, aiming his Zanpakuto directly at Yammy before clutching his forearm to support it, releasing a battle cry of his own, “**Bankai!!**”

Ulquiorra watched as his Reiatsu spiked. Yammy brought his fist down for another strike, but Ichigo dodged him smoothly this time, his speed had clearly increased.

He struck furiously with his Bankai, and Ulquiorra grunted in annoyance when Yammy didn’t try to avoid the attack, _That fool…_

Confirming Ulquiorra’s suspicion, a powerful jet of pure Reiatsu blasted clean through Yammy’s arm. Yammy yelled in shock as his arm was severed by Ichigo’s attack. Ichigo followed up with another attack, knocking Yammy off balance.

Ulquiorra sighed in annoyance, “You look like you’re having trouble, Yammy. Should I step in?”

Yammy struggled to his feet, “Shut the hell up, Ulquiorra! This one’s mine!!”

Ulquiorra scowled, _Ingrate._

Ichigo didn’t wait for Yammy to say anything more, he launched in with another flurry of attacks. Most of them only grazed him, slicing skin but not causing as much damage as his first attack.

Yammy bellowed in fury and pain at the onslaught of attacks, reaching for his Zanpakuto before Ulquiorra barked angrily at him, “Yammy! Are you really going to draw your Zanpakuto against such a pathetic opponent?”

Yammy rounded on him, “Of course not!!”

Yammy screeched with fury at Ulquiorra’s scolding, his Reiatsu exploding forth. He was finally getting serious, with a sudden burst of fury, he slammed his fist through Ichigo’s defenses. Ichigo howled in pain, but Yammy grasped him by his arm, snapping it before slamming his fist down with all his strength. Ichigo was crushed beneath him, but Yammy withdrew his remaining fist and began to savagely pummel the Reaper until Ulquiorra swore there’d be nothing but a pulp left.

In a blind rampage as usual, Yammy turned on the woman who was crouched not far from Ulquiorra still, “You damn bastard!! Now I’m gonna kill your friend for embarrassing me like that!!”

Ichigo wailed in futility, unable to move, all he could do was cry out to Yammy and beg for mercy.

He was wasting his breath.

Ulquiorra parted his lips to stop Yammy, but the Decima charged her anyway. Ulquiorra glanced at her, she’d clearly seen the attack coming, _Get out of the way._

But she didn’t move.

Instead she braced herself over her fallen friend, still shielding him. Yammy’s fist decimated her small frame in an instant, doing enough damage that it made Ulquiorra look away at the moment of impact.

When the dust cleared, Ulquiorra could see her mangled form lying twisted in the dust beside her friend, _How savage, Yammy._

Ulquiorra doubted she could survive a second blow like that, _Idiotic woman, why didn’t you move? Did you really think you could protect yourself and your friend? _

Despite his disgust, Ulquiorra tore his eyes away from her crippled body, not wanting to look at such a brutal sight any longer, _Poor thing never stood a chance…_

A new Reiatsu burst on the scene just as Ulquiorra thought they were finished, _What now?_

A man landed before Yammy, drawing an umbrella from his side. Yammy bellowed, thoughtlessly, “I’ll kill you too!!”

The mans Reiatsu pulsed powerful forward, and Ulquiorra quickly realized that the umbrella was a Zanpakuto. Yammy howled in excitement as he went for a head-to-head collision with the Reaper.

Irritation pushed Ulquiorra into motion, using his Sonido to put himself between the blundering Yammy and the Soul Reaper.

Ulquiorra watched as the powerful red jet came straight at him. He raised one hand, and slapped it away. Ichigo’s eyes widened in utter shock as he realized how easily Ulquiorra had blocked the attack.

Ulquiorra growled in annoyance, “Damn it, Yammy! What are you doing? Couldn’t you tell that attack was going to take your head off?”

The man looked terribly surprised, “You blocked Benihime? With your hand?”

Ulquiorra brushed his hand against his tailcoat, “That stung a bit. How irritating. Now, It’s my turn.”

Ulquiorra pointed a single finger at the two Reapers, “Cero.”

Ichigo gasped at the immense power that was released so quickly from the Cuarta. At the last second, Ulquiorra noticed the Cero was redirected.

He tipped his head, _Oh? Was it blocked?_

The man had split the weak Cero in half, but the Reiatsu emanating from him caught Ulquiorra’s attention immediately. Clearly, he had more power than he had initially revealed.

The man stared directly at him, “Whew! Benihime had to work on that one.”

Ulquiorra glanced at the umbrella in his hand, _So it is a Zanpakuto._

The man brushed his Haori off, “Kurosaki, you all right? Sorry I’m late.”

Ichigo struggled to get up, but couldn’t, “Urahara… I’m… okay. Orihime… and Chad…”

Ichigo’s now dull amber eyes were teary as he looked at his friends motionless figures lying in the dirt.

The man named Urahara squared off with Ulquiorra, his eye just visible beneath the brim of his hat, “You’re… dangerous.”

Ulquiorra sniffed at him, “Urahara? Kisuke Urahara?”

He kept his Zanpakuto close, “That’s me. And, who are you?”

Ulquiorra stuck his nose up a bit, “Ulquiorra Cifer. But my name is meaningless to you.”

Urahara was watching him carefully while Ulquiorra sized him up. They locked eyes for a long moment, and instinct told Ulquiorra now was not the time to fight this man.

Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes sharply, _He’s powerful. I’d better report to Aizen even if he’s already aware of him._

Ulquiorra surveyed the devastation they’d left. Countless corpses littered the area thanks to Yammy, the man named Chad was lying motionless still, Ichigo was terribly bloodied and helpless on the ground behind Urahara, and the woman named Inoue was lying not far from Ulquiorra, her eyes blearily gazing towards Ichigo.

Her mouth opened slightly, “Kuro… saki…”

Ulquiorra gazed down at her in surprise, _Oh!_

He took a couple steps closer, amazed that such a tiny thing had not only survived two blows from Yammy, but that she was even still conscious after them.

Urahara’s voice rang out, “Don’t you touch her!”

Ulquiorra looked over at him, he was clearly serious. Though Ulquiorra had never intended to lay a finger on her, he complied, not moving from where he stood as he gazed down at her. She met his eyes, her own looked so weak and frail now, but an unmistakable defiance still hardened them.

Ulquiorra was entranced. Here this tiny thing was, brutally beaten and laying with her face in the dirt, and yet she was gazing right back up at Ulquiorra with a mix of anger and unwavering willpower.

Her lips parted slightly, her voice barely audible, “Ul… quiorra…”

He tipped his head, _For what possible reason would she call my name?_

She let out an agonized gasp, her head dropping back into the dirt before Ulquiorra could answer her.

Instead, he turned back to Yammy, who was rather patiently awaiting further orders, “Yammy, we’re leaving. I’ve seen all I needed to see. These Reapers, these humans,”

Ulquiorra’s condescending gaze raked each of them, “they’re all nothing but **trash**.”


	2. The Deal

Ulquiorra was lying on his right side, hand gently pressed over his face where his left eye once was. He was resting while his body regenerated the wound left after his report to Aizen on their rather disappointing findings in the world of humans. In this form, Ulquiorra couldn’t regenerate limbs or organs quickly as most of his Reiatsu was sealed. Instead, he had to deal with the splitting headache that accompanied using his Repetición Instantánea, his ability to project his memories using the Reiatsu that naturally accumulates in the eye by crushing and releasing it.

Aizen prized Ulquiorra’s reconnaissance abilities, but all Ulquiorra could think right now was how miserable he felt, _I really wish Aizen would think of something else… Or let me just **tell **him what I found…_

Ulquiorra let out a pained grunt as he sat up, carefully patting the wound and noting that the bleeding had stopped.

As he got to his feet, a knock sounded at his chamber door, “Lord Ulquiorra?”

Ulquiorra grumbled to himself as he opened the door, greeting the Fracción with his usual scowl, “What is it?”

The Fracción seemed put off by his foul demeanor, “Um… L-Lord Aizen sent me to summon you.”

Ulquiorra sighed, muttering, “What the hell… I was just there.”

The Fracción stammered, “Oh, uh, I-I’m sorry, Lord Ulquiorra… I’m just… Uh, you know…”

Ulquiorra rubbed his temple, “I understand.”

He brushed past the Fracción, feeling him tense as he passed. Ulquiorra waved him off as he went, heading back for Aizen’s chambers once again.

Ulquiorra rapped at the door, vaguely wondering if Aizen could tell by his knock that he was annoyed, “Lord Aizen?”

Aizen’s voice answered, calmly, “Come in.”

Ulquiorra stepped into the large room. Aizen was reclined as usual, sipping at a cup of tea that still steamed.

His eyes flickered up as Ulquiorra approached, beckoning him closer, “Lord Aizen, you summoned me?”

Aizen nodded, lowering his cup, “Sorry to call you back here, especially after you delivered your report. Are you in pain?”

Ulquiorra privately wished he’d hurry up and conclude the talk so he could head back to his room and finish recuperating, “It’s nothing to worry about. It’ll be healed in a few more hours, I’m sure.”

Aizen tipped his head slightly, swirling his cup gently as he had a habit of doing, “Would you like some tea?”

Ulquiorra must’ve frowned, because Aizen’s expression shifted, “No, thank you.”

Aizen seemed to read his mind, “You seem… anxious?”

Ulquiorra definitely frowned, “Not at all, Lord Aizen. I apologize if my demeanor is inappropriate.”

Aizen smiled, “No, you’re fine. I realize I’m being inconsiderate to you, but I couldn’t get a thought out of my head. That woman… I faintly remember her. She was with Kurosaki Ichigo in the Soul Society. However, I didn’t get an opportunity to speak with her, or see her ability then. But seeing what she could do… It’s bothering me immensely. I want to know, what were your thoughts?”

Ulquiorra really wished Aizen would’ve waited until he’d healed. He thought for a moment, “I thought something was odd too. I didn’t know what, though. It just didn’t make sense to me, the way she was able to block Yammy, and how she could still get back up. It’s incomprehensible for a human… It shouldn’t be possible. But…”

Aizen continued at his pause, “But, there she was. I want… to see her ability again. I have a hunch about it, and if I’m right, she’ll be useful here. Ulquiorra… get some rest and recover, and tomorrow, I have a task for you.”

Ulquiorra stood still, waiting for Aizen’s go-ahead with his new mission. He rubbed a slow circle in the floor with his foot, wishing he were doing something more useful, but taking his duty as seriously as ever. If Aizen thought the woman would be useful, then he would bring her to Hueco Mundo at any cost.

He asked why Aizen was sending him, figuring Tier would be the most logical choice, but also knowing any Espada would easily be able to snatch the small woman up. Aizen had reasoned that she already had a rapport with Ulquiorra, she’d already seen him, and even shared a couple words. Aizen told him to play to the fact he hadn’t been the one to hurt any of her friends, told him to play up his passiveness and try to convince her to come with him.

Ulquiorra highly doubted that would work, remembering the sharpness in the woman’s eyes when she had openly defied him. Though he didn’t argue with Aizen, he was preparing himself for the chance of failure as he waited to open the Garganta again.

Ulquiorra half turned to spot Gin approaching him, a singsong voice ringing out, “Ulquiorra.”

Ulquiorra stared back, “Is it time?”

Gin tipped his head, “Itching to get out of talking to me? That hurts, Ulquiorra.”

He didn’t answer the Reaper, “Has Lord Aizen given permission?”

Gin sighed, “Stubborn as always. Yes, he sent me to tell you to get on with it.”

Ulquiorra turned his collar without another word to Gin, exiting the hall and stepping into the open. The canopy of Las Noches arched high above his head, artificial blue skies and light cascaded upon the white buildings. Ulquiorra’s eyes narrowed sharply, displeased by the unnatural light. There was no sun, but the light reflected off the buildings, the glare illuminating everything.

Ulquiorra opened the Garganta, stepping into the dark portal with one foot as Gin spoke from somewhere behind him, apparently having followed him, “Don’t forget, Ulquiorra! We’re sending Yammy and a couple noise makers, so you’ll have a good window to take her before anyone notices. You sticking with the plan, right?”

Ulquiorra huffed, mildly indignant, “Of course. I’m intercepting her in the Senkaimon where we’ll be isolated and my Reiatsu won’t be detected. She’ll disappear without a trace.”

Gin smiled his usual, unsettling grin, “Ah Ulquiorra, how silly of me. You always know what to do.”

Ulquiorra turned away from him, “The passage through the Senkaimon takes approximately fifty minutes without a Reaper’s Hell Butterfly, and you’ve taken about ten of those, so I’ll be on my way now.”

Ignoring anything else Gin had to say, Ulquiorra slipped into the Garganta.

The woman reacted with almost startling speed, whipping around and screeching at her companions to stop.

Ulquiorra smirked faintly, _No sneaking up on you, eh?_

The two Reaper’s turned on their heels, looking alarmed before they spotted Ulquiorra from where he’d dropped in behind them, “Who-What the hell are you?”

The other one shoved in front of the woman, “An Arrancar?”

Ulquiorra kept his hands in his pockets, nonchalantly stepping towards them. The woman clearly recognized him, but he was impressed by her quick recovery from her fright a moment before.

Ulquiorra looked the sorry trio over, “Only two bodyguards? Terribly disappointing, and irresponsible, I might add. You lot are so disorganized.”

The Reaper’s had ever so slightly lowered their guard as Ulquiorra casually chattered at them. He continued, “It’s a shame, really,” he locked eyes with the woman, “I really wanted to stay and talk with you, ask you some questions, get to know you.”

Ulquiorra stopped moving a couple paces from the confused Reapers, “But, this is more convenient for me, I suppose.”

He had only just slipped his hand from his pocket when the woman’s eyes ignited with alarm, “Wait!! Don’t! You have something to say to me, right! So say-”

Ulquiorra flicked his wrist, the burst of Reiatsu blasting a hole through the Reaper closest to him.

The woman barely had time to process what happened, but the instant she did, she summoned her ability. She turned quickly to the Reaper behind her, “Run!! Please run!! Run away now!!”

The Reaper stammered, and that brief moment allowed Ulquiorra to blast a hole into him as well. The woman stumbled back, extending the light she’d summoned to cover both of them with a distressed grunt.

Ulquiorra glanced down at the wounded Reaper, “Should’ve listened to her.”

He watched passively for a moment as she quickly managed to stop the bleeding, rather awed by how rapidly the wounds were healing, “You can even regenerate such terribly extensive wounds? Most impressive!”

Ulquiorra let a little too much excitement into his voice, faintly embarrassed by his genuine amazement. The woman turned on him with a fierceness. Her glare locked onto him, he knew she was terrified, but only her fist trembled.

He stepped towards her again, “I have some business with you, woman.”

Her foot shifted, but she held her ground as he got closer, “I-I don’t-What?”

Ulquiorra closed the last of the space, touching a finger to her lips, “Don’t speak. Come with me. Answer me only with ‘yes’, I will accept nothing else.”

She trembled under his touch, a slight sound escaping her lips before Ulquiorra cut her off, “Hush. I’m not going to hurt you.”

He cleared a strand of hair that had slipped from where it was once tucked behind a clip, “But I will kill your friends.”

She lurched away from him in a terrible shock, so he gently caught her chin, pressing his thumb to her lips to keep her quiet as she struggled, “Don’t speak. Don’t ask me any questions. In your hand you hold the rope, the rope that bars the guillotine from your friends throats. Do you understand? Just nod.”

The woman trembled, but she managed to nod at him, “Good. Now, understand this. This is not a negotiation. This is an order. Submit to me.”

He felt her swallow hard, her hand brushing his wrist as though to pull it away, but she just held it there.

Ulquiorra was pulled into her gaze for a moment, searching her eyes. He obliged her silent request in spite of himself, removing his hand from her face, “I’ll say it again, only once more, come with me.”

Ulquiorra offered his hand to her, waiting patiently while she considered her options.

She drew a trembling breath, “No.”

Ulquiorra blinked, “Excuse me?”

She stepped back away from him, glancing down at the Reapers behind her, “No. Not until I heal them.”

Ulquiorra shook his head, _Unbelievable!_

He drew a deep breath, “Maybe I didn’t make myself clear enough,” Ulquiorra aimed his palm at the helpless Reapers, charging a weak Cero.

The woman slapped his hand away, gripping his wrist, “Don’t!! Don’t you dare!!”

Ulquiorra was appalled, wondering if this woman had any idea what situation she was in, “Woman!” he took a breath to gather himself, “I will kill them unless you come with me right now.”

She seemed to shrink away, “Just-just let me heal them! I’ll go with you. Please, I just don’t want them to die…”

Ulquiorra closed his eyes for a moment, “I don’t think you understand what ‘this is not a negotiation’ means. But… I suppose I can allow you to finish. Understand that this is the last time I will accommodate your whims.”

She had stopped listening from the moment he’d given his okay. He hovered over her while she focused on saving the two Reapers. Her hands trembled, but she stayed focused.

Ulquiorra found himself watching her instead, _I must admit, she’s… fierce._

When she’d finished, she stood slowly, turning nervously to face Ulquiorra.

He reached out again, “Come here.”

She took one more glance back, but this time, her soft hand settled in his palm, “Please… please don’t hurt them again.”

Ulquiorra pulled her a little closer, “I won’t.”

She nodded a bit, “Okay. Where-where are we going?”

Ulquiorra led her through the Senkaimon, “Just follow me. You don’t need to ask anything, you only need to listen to me.”

She followed him, half dragged by his strong hold. For a moment, he wondered if he was being too rough with her. He was deceptively strong and not used to handling a human, and he glanced back to check that he wasn’t hurting her.

She stumbled occasionally, looking unfocused, almost delirious, but silent. He pulled her forward so that she was walking ahead of him, releasing her hand as he did, “You can walk on your own.”

She tripped when he released her, catching herself against the walls of the Senkaimon.

Ulquiorra touched her shoulder carefully, “Are you harmed?”

She looked back over to him, “What?”

Ulquiorra steadied her as she stood back up, “Were you injured? Before coming into the Senkaimon, by my Bala earlier, at any time?”

She shook her head, as though trying to clear it, “Uh, no I… No, I’m not injured.”

Ulquiorra noticed her hand felt cold now, “Then keep moving.”

She was shaking now, Ulquiorra watched her like a hawk, _Ah, perhaps she wiped herself out healing those two back there._

When they reached the end of the Senkaimon, Ulquiorra took her hand again, “Hold on to me, you’ll fall to your death if you exit the Senkaimon otherwise.”

She was shaking terribly now, but she obliged, taking hold of him as he stepped out of the Senkaimon. Wind immediately blasted them as they fell towards the ground. The woman grabbed him tightly now, though he wouldn’t let her fall regardless, he was a bit relieved to see she had some sense of survival instinct in her.

Ulquiorra landed gracefully on the ground, letting go of his hold on her. She turned a confused look on him, “This is…”

Ulquiorra still held her hand, taking his other from his pocket and pulling out a bracelet with a seal, “The human world. May I?”

She seemed unsure of the question for a moment, as though she expected him to forcefully submit her to his every move, “Oh… What is it?”

He sighed, “You’re a terrible listener. I said no questions.”

She looked down towards their feet, “Oh.”

He continued anyway, “This bracelet will make sure you follow the rules I’m about to give you. Listen closely, I seriously will not repeat this. You’re distraught. Frightened. So I’m going to make you a deal. You have 12 hours to linger here, you can go to your home, wander the parks, anything so long as you wear this bracelet. You may not tell anyone what’s going on. And you may give your farewell to one of your friends.”

She stared wide eyed at him, so he continued, “Despite what it may seem, I am not without sympathy. When your twelve hours are up, you are to meet me here.”

She still looked confused, “Will you be watching?”

Ulquiorra nodded, “From afar. Don’t worry, I’ll respect your privacy. But I’ll be keeping watch to make sure you don’t get any ideas about blabbing to one of your friends about the deal.”

She scoffed a bit when he said the word ‘deal’, but she allowed Ulquiorra to gently fasten the bracelet to her wrist. The seal immediately bound to her Reiatsu, and she made a face at the sensation.

Ulquiorra looked at her, “Does it hurt?”

She scowled a bit, “You asked twice… Are you worried about me?”

Ulquiorra recoiled a bit, “Nonsense. My orders are to bring you entirely unharmed back to Lord Aizen. I said I was not without sympathy, but do not confuse me for one of your kind. I don’t care about your feelings, or your wellbeing. My only concern is perfectly completing my orders, do not mistake that for kindness or compassion.”

She seemed a bit disappointed in his answer, _I suppose anyone would be, finding themselves in such an unfortunate position. Perhaps she wants to believe that I can be swayed by such trivial emotions because it’s the only chance she has._

The woman took a step back from him once he’d finished fastening the bracelet, “So… Just don’t tell anyone, and in twelve hours, meet you here?”

Ulquiorra huffed a bit, “You really don’t listen.”

She continued on almost as if she didn’t hear him, “When I meet you here, where will you take me?”

Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes, “Why do you care to know? Do you plan on telling someone in advance?”

She shook her head, not seeming startled or put off by his suspicion, “Is it Hueco Mundo?”

He tipped his head, “Seems you already know.”

She looked despairingly at him, clearly, she didn’t want to be taken to Hueco Mundo. Ulquiorra decided to soothe her to try and keep her under control, “It’s not so bad. And you’ll be treated as a guest so long as you behave. When we go, I’ll be taking you to the King’s palace, it’s known as Las Noches. You’ll be better accommodated there than you ever were here in the human world, so don’t fret so much. If I wanted to kill or harm you, I would’ve done it already and wouldn’t be wasting my time playing mind games with you.”

She searched his eyes for a while, as though trying to gauge his sincerity, before eventually heaving a sigh, “Twelve hours, then…”

Ulquiorra had squandered the day away following the woman’s path through her last twelve hours in the human world. He stayed carefully out of sight, following only close enough to keep track of her general area. As night fell, only a couple hours left before she was to meet Ulquiorra again, the woman found her way towards a particular house. Ulquiorra thought it might’ve been her house, but when he found his way closer to the house, he recognized Ichigo’s Reiatsu. It was faint and disturbed, Ulquiorra guessed he was injured. As he lingered in the darkness, Ulquiorra could feel her warm, sturdy Reiatsu begin to permeate the air.

He scoffed lightly to himself, _She’s healing him. She’s making this so easy for me to frame her, I almost feel bad for her. Her only concern seems to be taking care of him, I wonder if it ever crossed her mind that I’m setting her up._

He waited for a while after she had finished before disappearing again, heading towards the park. His Sonido carried him back to the meeting place within moments. He wandered a lazy circle around the clearing, the moon was full and bright, the leaves quivered in a gentle breeze. He let out a pleasant sigh, thinking that the night scenery of the human world wasn’t so bad after all.

He sat in the grass on a small hill that let him look out over the cityscape in the valley below. A strange feeling stirred in him as he looked out over the quiet scene, and he almost wished the woman would take her time getting back to him.

Ulquiorra spotted the woman as she found her way up the hill towards him. The city lights illuminated the background in an almost bokeh as he watched her approach him, the moon casting just enough light onto her face that he could see her terribly unhappy expression. Ulquiorra didn’t stand up immediately, rather, he gestured for her to sit with him. She hesitated for a moment before setting herself down next to him. She watched him for a while, eventually following his gaze out towards the valley below.

Her voice broke the silence after a while, “What are we doing?”

He glanced over at her, “You still have about forty minutes left. I figured it’s only fair to hold my end of the deal and let you have your full time.”

She slouched over a bit, “Oh. I see.”

A long silence loomed between them before Ulquiorra was surprised by the sound of his own voice, “It’s quiet.”

She looked at him, seeming startled, “Yeah… Most people don’t like to walk around at night.”

Ulquiorra didn’t meet her gaze, “Why not? It’s nice out.”

She scoffed lightly, not mocking him, but clearly amused by his naivety, “It’s dangerous. You’re more likely to be robbed or killed. Hollows are out at night too, most people can’t see them, but I think they know something’s wrong and get scared.”

Ulquiorra let out a soft ‘hmph’ as he sat there, “That’s a shame, really. But then, I suppose it wouldn’t be so quiet if everyone was out running around.”

She let out a forlorn hum, making Ulquiorra wonder if she’d even heard him, “Yeah, I guess so.”

Ulquiorra gazed at her for a moment, he half expected her to be crying, but she wasn’t. She was just staring absently out over the landscape laid before them.

After a moment, he spoke again, “Are you afraid?”

She met his eyes now, “No…”

He eyed her, “Really? Then, if not fear, what?”

She didn’t seem quite sure what to think of his chatter, “Will I ever be able to come back here? Will I ever see this world again? My friends? School?”

Ulquiorra hummed for a moment, “If you listen well, and help us, there’s a chance. Aizen has never done anything senselessly, he has an objective and a goal, he didn’t do all of this just to cause mayhem. So, keep that in mind when we go, and do as your told. Then, once he’s achieved his goals and you no longer serve a purpose, he might let you go back to your life here.”

Her eyes narrowed in obvious disbelief, “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

He stared back, “As a matter of fact, I do. I’m not saying it’s a guarantee, obviously. But I am saying it’s a possibility. Think of it as you like, it makes no difference to me.”

She let out a long sigh, changing the subject, “You know, last week, I was so worried about this paper I need to write. It seems so… ridiculous now.”

He tipped his head a bit, mindful that their time here was gradually winding down, “Paper? Why did you need to write a paper?”

She seemed distracted as she spoke, “For school.”

He eyed her, “School?”

She huffed, vaguely amused, “Yeah. It’s like, a place you go to learn things.”

He sighed, “I know what a school is. I was trying to say, ‘what do you do in school’…”

She smiled just a tad, “Oh, sorry. I don’t really know yet. I haven’t declared a major in college. I’ve thought of nursing, or culinary school, or sculpting, maybe criminology, I also like to paint. But for now, I’m just doing general stuff. The paper was a research paper for one of my classes.”

Ulquiorra found himself listening intently to her, “You were nervous about it, why?”

She sighed, “I’ve been so busy trying to help Kurosaki lately… I haven’t had time to do any research.”

She laughed slightly, Ulquiorra relaxed when she did, “I see.”

Her smile faded, that absent look returning to her eyes as they sat there in the grass beneath the moon, “I guess none of that matters now…”

He folded one arm over his knee, “Does it make you wonder?”

She didn’t look his way, “About what?”

He continued, “About everything. About life, and priorities. Does it make you wonder why you ever cared in the first place? You were so worried about something so trivial, something that doesn’t affect your survival, and now all that worry is meaningless.”

She sighed a bit, “What’s your point?”

He glanced at her, taking in her profile as it was backlit by the moon at their backs, “Is there any meaning in life? Or could all things we assign meaning be taken away so easily?”

She scowled, “There is meaning.”

He tipped his head, “Are you sure?”

She faced him, renewed determination in her eyes, “Yes.”

He mulled her words over for a moment, “I disagree. If something doesn’t affect your survival, I see no value in it.”

They locked eyes for a long moment, Ulquiorra becoming critically aware of how close they were sitting. Her eyes seemed to pierce right through him, “If you really believe that, then why do you follow Aizen?”

He blinked, “For survival.”

She frowned, “I don’t believe you.”

He scowled back at her, “Whatever. Think what you want, I don’t owe you an answer anyway.”

He stood up, dusting himself off, “Come on, we should go now.”

She followed him up, her gaze hanging on the landscape for a long while before she conceded and turned towards him. Ulquiorra opened the Garganta, extending his hand to her to help her.

With a last, saddened sigh, she took his hand, “All right… let’s go.”


	3. Struggle and Resist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for really long update periods ^^ All of my fics are still active it just takes a lot longer to update now

The woman was following him quietly, limping slightly on a foot she sprained when she’d struggled free of his grip and fallen. He turned back on her with a scowl. When she caught his eye, she glared back with a defiant ‘hmph’ before turning away from him again.

Ulquiorra shot another, more subtle glance towards her, _How stupid can you be? Jumping from a good twenty feet in the air, what an idiot._

He stopped suddenly, causing her to run into him with an ‘oof’ before her ankle nearly gave out.

Ulquiorra let out an annoyed hiss and caught her by her arm, “Watch it!”

She yanked her arm free, “I don’t need your help!”

Ulquiorra let out a furious huff, “I should’ve just let you fall and break your leg back there.”

She shoved pass him, “I wish you would’ve! I’d rather be eaten by Hollows than keep walking with you!”

Ulquiorra ground his teeth, “Fine! Have it your way.”

He leapt up onto a high, broken pillar about 30 feet up. He turned and called back to her, “Let’s see how long it takes before you ask for my help!”

The woman hurled a small chunk of the broken pillar towards him, “Go to hell!”

Ulquiorra caught the stone before pelting it back towards the ground a few feet away, leaving a small crater in it’s wake, “We’re already in hell!”

He turned his back on her before sitting down, _I can’t believe we were talking so calmly just a while ago. This woman is infuriating!_

The woman sat against a large section of debris, beginning to massage her ankle. He could hear her muttering curses beneath her breath, and it took a great deal of self-control not to hop down there and tell her to speak up.

After a deal of time had passed, Ulquiorra spotted a small Hollow wandering towards them. He glowered down at her, “You better ask for my help. That Hollow’s got your scent.”

The woman didn’t look up him, she only flipped her middle finger up, “I can handle myself.”

Ulquiorra scored his nails over the stone, _God help me that I don’t let you die right here you vexing-!_

Ulquiorra broke off his thought, “Whatever.”

The small Hollow was close now, within a few yards. He watched it out of the corner of his eye, _Come on, woman… Just ask for my help._

She had her arms crossed, stubbornly watching the Hollow as it closed in on her. It let out an excited screech before charging her. Ulquiorra watched for a second more, but the woman didn’t move.

Ulquiorra spat in fury, _Good God, you damned idiot!_

Ulquiorra dropped down between them, grabbing the Hollow by its mask before hurling it to the side with a grunt. The Hollow rounded on him, but when it recognized him as an Arrancar, it immediately fled with a petrified scream.

Ulquiorra whipped around to face her, “Are you out of your mind?”

She snubbed him, “You would never let it get to me.”

Ulquiorra hauled her up by her arm, “Oh yeah? How do you know that?”

She glared at him, “Because then Aizen would be mad at you for not following orders.”

Ulquiorra growled, dragging her with him and knowing she had a point, “Come on!”

She dug her heels in, wincing on her ankle, but not betraying her pain otherwise, “No!”

Ulquiorra was beyond exasperated, “What happened to the woman who was listening so well before, huh?”

She pulled hard in his grip, “It’s just us now.”

Ulquiorra’d had enough, yanking her powerfully against his chest and holding her there, “Is that right? You don’t think I can hurt your friends anymore? You’re dead wrong, so you’d best stop making such a fuss or I’m going to end up hurting you.”

She shoved against his chest to try and open space, but neither of them budged, “Go ahead and hurt me then, I’m not afraid of a couple bruises!”

Ulquiorra snorted, “No kidding!”

With a final, annoyed grunt, he tossed her over his shoulder. Ulquiorra heard the breath escape her as she landed on his bony shoulder.

Her fists pummeled his back, “Put me down right now!”

Ulquiorra readjusted her weight as he began walking, “No.”

She let out a displeased grunt, “Okay, okay, I can walk.”

Ulquiorra gripped her tighter, “No.”

With a final, defeated sigh, he felt her body relax, “Come on… You’re bony and it’s uncomfortable to be carried like this.”

Ulquiorra scoffed, feeling a bit pleased he was finally back in control, “No. You’re not wasting any more of my time.”

Her hands pressed into his back as she tried to hold her weight up, “Just let me down.”

Ulquiorra was half tempted to jolt her by hopping down a small ledge, but decided against it, “You got yourself in this situation, now deal with it.”

She groaned in annoyance, but eventually, she stilled in his hold. As he approached Las Noches after what felt like an eternity with the stubborn woman, his grip weakened and he let her down. She indignantly straightened herself out, face twisting as her weight settled on her stiff ankle.

Ulquiorra chuffed, “That’s what you get for being such a pain,” when she gave him a mutinous look, he added, “Now, make yourself at least half decent before you stand in front of Lord Aizen.”

She brushed her sweater off while muttering. Ulquiorra noticed the blood that dotted it for the first time. Before he could stop himself, he reached out rubbed a thumb over one of the blood stains.

The woman eyed him cautiously, but she didn’t swat him away as he thumbed the dark red patch, “I’ll have a Fracción bring you some clean clothes after we report to Aizen.”

He met her eyes, noticing how weary she looked despite her unrelenting obstinance. She stood a bit straighter, ever defiant.

He chuffed a bit, his irritation beginning to wane, “I’m sure you’ll be able to get some rest too.”

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him, but he merely gestured for her to follow him, _Of course she’s worn out… Her whole life has been derailed in a matter of a couple of days. She’s survived serious injuries, threats on her life and the life of her friends, now she’s been abducted and hauled off to hell. No wonder she’s fighting me tooth and nail…_

Ulquiorra led her through the halls of Las Noches, her steps were heavy and slow. She’d fallen quiet again, her eyes seemed to drag on the floor as she followed him, her limp growing worse.

He sighed, slowing his pace down and offering his arm to her, “Lean on me.”

She gave him a surprised look, “Why?”

Ulquiorra was mildly rapt when she took his arm without her earlier fight, “Because you’re moving too slowly on that injured foot.”

She scoffed, but Ulquiorra felt her weight lean onto him. With his body supporting her sprained ankle, he was able to hurry them up towards the throne room where Aizen would be waiting.

Ulquiorra rapped on the door, “Lord Aizen?”

The door opened, revealing Gin, who gestured for them to come in. Ulquiorra stepped into the large room, noting a couple of the gathered Espada mulling around in front of Aizen, who smiled in greeting.

He gestured for them to approach, “I’m glad to see you back, Ulquiorra. And Inoue, may I call you that?”

She seemed a bit startled by the question, and she glanced at Ulquiorra as though looking for clarity, “Uh… Yes, that’s fine.”

Aizen stood up, striding casually towards him, “All right, Inoue, I’m terribly sorry to put you through such a rough greeting. I hope Ulquiorra wasn’t completely insufferable, I know he can be abrasive and demanding.”

Ulquiorra was taken aback, _Me? I’m the insufferable one?_

Aizen gave him a cheeky look, “Is there anything I can do for you, Inoue? Food, something to drink?”

She looked awed by him, Ulquiorra figured she’d be flustered as most everyone was in his amazing presence, “Oh, no thank you, I’m all right.”

She took a small step back, closer to Ulquiorra, as Aizen approached her, “Let me know if there’s anything at all you need. I know when we met in Soul Society, we weren’t on the same side. I would like to heartily apologize for everything that happened at that time, I know it must be difficult to trust me, so I’ll make sure everything I do will support what I’ve said to you.”

Aizen brushed a strand of hair from her face, giving her a warm, sympathetic look, “You look exhausted and in pain, let’s get you cleaned up and to your room. I’ll have someone bring you food and something to drink just as soon as you’re settled in. Is tea all right?”

The woman’s eyes were wide, but she kept her voice quite steady all things considered, “Yes… Tea’s fine. Thank you.”

Aizen smiled softly, gently brushing his hand over her cheek, “I’m glad you’re here, Inoue. I hope with some time you and I can come to truly understand one another. But first, you should get some rest. Ulquiorra, I’d like you to take care of her.”

Ulquiorra recoiled, “Me?”

Aizen nodded, “Yes, if you would, please. Take her to your wing of the palace and get her a nice room to stay in. I’d also like you to be her personal caretaker.”

Ulquiorra and Orihime shared a disbelieving look, “You want me to be her caretaker?”

Aizen nodded, smiling mischievously, “Yes. I know I can trust you, and I wouldn’t leave Inoue with anyone but the most trustful. I want you to keep her safe in case anything happens, and make sure she has everything she needs to be comfortable.”

Ulquiorra heard Grimmjow cackle from where he was standing, shooting him a spiteful glare before turning back to Aizen, “Yes, Lord Aizen. I’ll make sure she’s safe and properly cared for.”

Ulquiorra begrudgingly looked at the woman, who stared wide-eyed back as Aizen dismissed them, “Thank you, Ulquiorra. Now, it would be in poor manners to keep you here any longer after you’ve had such a long day. Ulquiorra, please show her to her room, and I’ll have some tea brought over in a moment.”

Ulquiorra gestured at the woman, “All right, let’s go.”

She eyed Aizen warily as she followed Ulquiorra out of the room. A draft passed over them as they exited the room. Ulquiorra was jolted by the feeling of Orihime leaning on him. He glanced down to ask her what she was doing, but before he could ask, she stumbled hard, catching herself on his arm.

He steadied her, expecting another bout of arguing, but none came. Her face twisted in pain, and she seemed close to fainting.

Ulquiorra helped her stand up straight, “What’s the matter with you?”

She held tightly to him, “I’m just… tired…”

Ulquiorra guided her to his wing of the palace, taking her to a large, well furnished room that was on the same floor as his chambers were so he could keep a close watch on her. She stepped into the room, looking unsure and flustered. Her eyes spotted the sofa, and she wasted no time flopping down onto it.

Ulquiorra scoffed, sitting on the arm of the sofa, “There’s a bed, you know.”

She mumbled something into the sofa, but Ulquiorra couldn’t understand her. Instead, he waited for the Fracción to bring tea and the woman’s change of clothes.

Ulquiorra stepped out of the room while the woman changed into the fresh clothes brought to her. He sipped at the tea Aizen had sent them, waiting for what he thought was a fair amount of time before stepping back into the room.

He blinked, startled when he stepped back in and she’d only just finished pulling the top down over her waist.

She let out a yelp when she spotted him, “Wha-When did you get there?!”

Ulquiorra drew back, embarrassed, “Just now. Please, cease your chatter.”

She covered herself with her arms, “Really? Just now?”

He looked away, not wanting to meet her accusing glare, “Yes, just now. I saw nothing.”

She heaved a sigh, “Sheesh! Knock next time!”

He stuck his nose up, “You’re giving me orders on how to act in my own place of residence?”

She fixed him with a cross look, “Yes! From now on, you’re not allowed in here until you knock.”

Ulquiorra made a face, “You have gall, you know that?”

She stole another look back at the sofa before lowering herself onto it, “Do you need something?”

He frowned a bit, “No. I’m just fulfilling my duty.”

She groaned, “Oh no, you are not staying here all the time.”

Ulquiorra leaned against the wall by her head, closing his eyes for a moment, “You do not order me around. Rather, the opposite.”

She let out something like a groan, rolling onto her side so her face was hidden from him.

After a while, he glanced down at her. He huffed in amusement and relief to see her sides rising and falling in deep, even rhythms.

His eyes lowered a bit, _Oh. She’s fallen asleep already._

He pushed off the wall, standing over her for a moment. He brushed his fingers over her shoulder, lingering there for a few seconds before withdrawing and exiting the room. He closed the door quietly, pausing for a moment while he looked around the empty hallway.

Once he was convinced the woman was really asleep, he stepped away from the door and returned to his own chambers, thoroughly fatigued after battling the woman’s wills all the way to the palace.

The next day, Ulquiorra instinctively reached for the door before pausing. Thinking twice, he then knocked on the door.

A startled reply answered, “Uh, oh, c-come in?”

Ulquiorra shoved the door open, scowling at her as she was just now waking up, “You slept in all this time? Slothful woman.”

She glared at him from beneath her auburn hair, which was fuzzy and protruding in every direction, “I can’t even tell what time it is in this room. What do you expect?”

Ulquiorra gave a displeased grunt before shoving the food cart towards her, “Eat.”

She glanced between him and the food, “Can I get dressed first? And what about a bath?”

Ulquiorra turned away from her and gestured towards a back room, “Did you not bathe last night? If you did, you’d know it’s that room there.”

Her fists balled the sheets, “It wasn’t my first priority, no.”

He scoffed, “Repulsive.”

He could hear the low growl rising in her throat as her annoyance with him mounted, “You’re criticizing me? Have you passed a mirror lately?”

Ulquiorra felt his jaw drop just a little in shock at her insolence, “What did you say to me?”

She stuck her nose up, “You heard me! I don’t want to hear your criticism, you hypocrite.”

He rounded on her, “I’m very clean, mind you.”

She crossed her arms, “Oh yeah? Why do you smell like a pile of musty old clothes then? I should know, I was forced to smell you the whole way here.”

Ulquiorra ground his teeth, “Watch your mouth! And that’s preposterous, I don’t smell like that!”

She let an exaggerated gag, making Ulquiorra’s temper flare, “You do too! And your breath is rank!”

Ulquiorra squeezed a fist tight, “Nonsense! I take exquisite care of my hygiene. Apparently you can’t say the same!”

She snubbed him, making him pace an agitated circle around the room before reproaching her, “Are you going to eat or not?”

She stayed put, “What are you gonna do if I say no?”

Ulquiorra loomed threateningly over her, “Then I’ll make you eat. I’ll shove this food down your throat if I have to.”

She snorted, “Then I’ll just throw it back up.”

Ulquiorra squeezed the hilt of Murciélago in frustration, “Have fun with that. I’ll muzzle you if I have to, see how you like throwing up in your own mouth.”

She huffed, “That’s disgusting.”

He handed her the tray, “Yes, it absolutely is. So eat.”

For a long moment, they just glared at each other. With an exasperated huff, Ulquiorra closed the space between them, snatching a piece of bread from the cart as he passed it. The woman recoiled, clearly prepared for the fight she knew was coming. Ulquiorra reached out to grab her, and her hands came up defensively to fight him off.

She swatted aggressively at him, “Back off!”

Ulquiorra fielded her flailing arms before snatching one of her wrists, “Stop it!”

The woman struggled to pull her arm free, “Let me go!”

Ulquiorra grunted before squeezing just tightly enough to make her clench her jaw in pain, “Stop fighting and eat!”

Defiance and rage lit her eyes as she drew her leg up before kicking out as hard as she could at his groin. Ulquiorra managed to block her with his thigh, but a low growl of anger and frustration escaped him as he threw her to the floor.

He’d expected her to still once she hit the floor, but she just fought him harder. Ulquiorra grunted as she aimed a surprisingly strong kick into the side of his knee, just enough to make it buckle. He could’ve stayed standing, but he decided to drop his weight onto her.

She let out a spluttering “oof” as he landed on her, “Get off!”

Ulquiorra rested more of his weight on her, “Then eat.”

Her fist rapped feebly on his back, “I can’t you’re crushing me!”

Ulquiorra didn’t budge, “You did this to yourself.”

She let out another spluttering cough, “Why are you so heavy? You look so small.”

Ulquiorra felt her give another desperate heave to try and throw him off, but it was in vain, “I have dense muscles. Now, are you going to eat or shall I pry your jaws apart and shove in down your throat?”

Her hand shoved at his face to try and push his weight off of her, “Fine, I’ll eat. Just get off!”

Ulquiorra got off of her, indignantly dusting himself off before shoving the bread into her hands, “Eat.”

She begrudgingly took the bread and broke a piece off before chewing it angrily, “It’s stale.”

Ulquiorra snorted, “Oh poor you. Are you going to die?”

She glared at his biting sarcasm before dropping the bread back on the cart, “If you want me to eat, bring me something that’s edible.”

With that, she stuck her nose in the air and turned her back on him. Ulquiorra felt the hair on the back of his neck rise in anger, “I swear-”

But he was interrupted when she walked a bit unsteadily towards the bathroom, one hand on her mouth, the other wrapped around her stomach as she was slightly doubled over.

She waved him off, “Please leave.”

Ulquiorra’s eyes narrowed, but he realized when he saw how pale she’d grown that she hadn’t been lying about the food being inedible, “Fine. But I’ll be back later. Just… don’t throw up on that brand-new uniform.”

He grimaced as he gestured at her, but she just closed her eyes with a slight nod and slammed the bathroom door behind her. Ulquiorra glanced at the food, wondering if it was truly that bad that it had made her sick.

He covered the tray again, _I’ll have to tell Kaname to prepare the next meal to assure this doesn’t happen again…_

Suddenly self-conscious of his presence in the room, he decided to take his leave and return once the woman had gotten her ill stomach under control. He turned to leave, but a though crossed his mind and froze him in place.

He walked towards the bathroom door and rapped on it, “Woman?”

She coughed a couple times before a weak voice answered, “What?”

Ulquiorra wasn’t quite sure if he should keep standing there or do something to help her, “Did I injure you?”

A couple more coughs before she responded hoarsely, “What?”

Ulquiorra sighed, “I’m coming in.”

She started to say something but he didn’t hesitate to push the door open, earning him a very hostile glare from bleary eyes as he stood before her. Ulquiorra scrutinized her closely, “Did I injure you earlier? Is that why you’re sick?”

Her eyes flashed for a moment, but she looked rather sickly and seemed to give up whatever question she had in favor of closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths, “No, I’m not injured.”

Ulquiorra tipped his head just slightly, “Then, why are you sick? I don’t believe the food was spoiled. Are you sure I didn’t damage your ribs or sternum-”

She heaved a sigh, “I’m fine. I’m sick from stress,” as an after thought she added, “But the food isn’t helping.”

Ulquiorra stepped closer to her, still scrutinizing her with his eyes, “Stress?”

He watched her roll her eyes slightly, “Yes.”

Ulquiorra blinked slowly, “What is that?”

She sighed, taking a seat on the edge of the tub, “It’s like… I don’t know, stress is stress. It’s like this bad feeling you get when something is upsetting you or you’re overwhelmed.”

Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes, “A feeling can make you ill? Humans are so…” he was going to say ‘pathetic’ but he decided against it, “delicate.”

She gazed at him for a moment, seeming almost amused by his lack of understanding, “Stress is a physical thing, too. It raises blood pressure and heart rate and can cause inflammation throughout your body and other stuff like that. That’s what makes someone sick.”

Ulquiorra let out a quiet ‘huh’ as he considered what she’d said, “Then, how do I fix it?”

She made a face at him, “What?”

He stared blankly back, “How do I fix it?”

She blinked a couple times, “You don’t.”

Ulquiorra gave her a disproving look, “What do you mean ‘you don’t’?”

She heaved dramatically, “I mean exactly that. You can’t fix it.”

Ulquiorra squinted a bit, “Nonsense. What would remedy your condition?”

She furrowed her brows, “Why do you care?”

Ulquiorra twitched his finger, “I don’t. But if you’re ill then it should be addressed in order for you to be of utmost use to Lord Aizen.”

The woman made a peculiar expression that he couldn’t quite read, “Of course… If that’s the case, then the remedy is you leaving me alone now.”

Ulquiorra gazed at her, “Will that relieve your stress?”

She gave him a mutinous glare, “Yes. Now please leave so I can finish being sick in peace.”

Ulquiorra grimaced a bit, “Spare me the details. I’m leaving. I’ll be back to bring your meal later.”

Ulquiorra turned on his heel, closing the door behind him as he left her alone again. After exiting her room, he wandered a bit absently, heading in the general direction towards his own chambers. Ulquiorra was staring vacantly ahead when he was intercepted by a Fracción.

The low-ranked Arrancar froze in front of him, “Lord Ulquiorra! Lord Aizen was requesting you.”

Ulquiorra sighed, “I’ll head to his chambers now.”

The Fracción gave him a polite nod and left, leaving Ulquiorra to change his course and head for Aizen’s throne room.

Ulquiorra was lounging in the woman’s room. He had one leg resting over the front of the couch, resting on the floor, while the other was tossed over the back of the couch. His arms were crossed and his eyes were closed as he listened to the running shower in the other room, waiting for the woman to finish cleaning herself. He’d first thought to just walk in and say what he needed to say, but he remembered her reaction to his walking in on her before and decided she’d probably be offended if he walked in on her now.

After a while he found himself thinking about his earlier meeting with Aizen. The Reaper hadn’t had anything of significance to tell Ulquiorra, but he’d summoned him anyway. Ulquiorra couldn’t shake the feeling he’d been scrutinized the entire time, and Aizen had reprimanded him for negligence when he learned that the woman had fallen ill. Ulquiorra still didn’t understand exactly how ‘stress’ worked, so he’d instead told Aizen he was suspicious it was the food and requested Kaname prepare her meals from now on to avoid potential tampering and sour food in the future.

Now Ulquiorra found himself waiting for longer than he expected, and he vaguely wondered if the woman was dead or injured. He half opened one eye and gazed towards the door. He could still feel her presence, and it didn’t seem to be any more disturbed than he’d expect given the circumstances.

He closed his eye again with a sigh, _Perhaps humans have special requirements when they clean… _

Ulquiorra tried to recall vague memories of when he was a human, but they were long lost, so he decided his theory was correct and made it a point to ask the woman what her special needs were.

As he thought this, he noticed the shower water stop running. Ulquiorra turned onto his side, his legs still splayed over the couch as he watched the door and waited for the woman to come out.

After a short shuffling from the room, Ulquiorra saw a plume of steam billow from the room as she stepped out into the cold main room. She quickly spotted Ulquiorra where he lay, and a startled yelp escaped her as she clutched the towel tightly to herself.

Ulquiorra simply blinked as she turned her posture defensively, “What are doing here?”

Ulquiorra gazed idly back, “I brought your dinner.”

She stammered a bit, eyeing the pile of clothes on her bed, for which she’d have to pass Ulquiorra, “Why didn’t you knock?”

Ulquiorra still didn’t look away, “I did. You didn’t answer.”

She huffed, inching her way past him, “Then you should wait! Why are sitting like that?”

Ulquiorra watched her pass by the foot of the couch, “Like what?”

She clutched the towel in one hand before gesturing with her other at the way his legs were spayed, “Like that.”

Ulquiorra’s arms were still crossed, “It’s comfortable to me.”

She finally edged past him towards the bed, “Well, it’s not to me.”

Ulquiorra huffed at her, “Why should I care about that?”

She was shuffling somewhere out of his sight, “Because you’re in my room and I said so.”

Ulquiorra wished he could glare from where he way lying, “You have gall. You should really be more mindful how you speak to me. I could just lock you in here and starve you if that’s preferable to you.”

He’d expected her to back down, but she just came to stand above him again, “You should get out now.”

Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes at her, “Nonsense. Lord Aizen was displeased with my negligence of you earlier.”

She returned his unhappy stare, “Well, I’m going to get dressed. So you need to leave.”

Ulquiorra snorted, “No.”

Irritation flashed in her eyes, “Out.”

Ulquiorra ground his teeth, “No.”

She let out a furious huff, “Why not?”

Ulquiorra closed his eyes again, “I already told you.”

She walked out of his sight again only to return to hurl a cloth over his face, “Don’t you dare look.”

Offense burned Ulquiorra, “Woman, I-”

She shushed him angrily, and at the sound of her rapidly redressing, Ulquiorra left the cloth in place despite himself.

A couple moments passed before she spoke again, “Okay.”

Ulquiorra wasted no time snatching the cloth off his face and sitting up straight, turning on her to hurl the rag back at her, “Don’t ever show me such insolence again!”

She stuck her nose up at him, making the hair rise angrily on his neck, “Or else what?”

Ulquiorra got to his feet and stalked towards her, “Or else I’ll make this stay **very **unpleasant for you.”

Ulquiorra let as much menace into his voice as he could, but she was staring right back at him, “Go ahead and try it, see what Aizen thinks!”

Ulquiorra snapped his teeth, he never should’ve told her about Aizen’s intention to protect her, “He won’t think anything. I have every authority to do whatever I need to do to keep you compliant. If I have to starve you, or break any unnecessary bones, or kill your friends to get you to obey me, I will.”

She still glared at him, but she quieted at the mention of her friends.

Ulquiorra gave a satisfied huff, “Now, eat your meal.”

She glared begrudgingly at him as she peeked at the food, “What did you bring?”

Ulquiorra followed her gaze onto the tray, “Are you still ill?”

Her eyes lit up a bit at the smell of the food, “No, I’m fine now.”

Ulquiorra grumbled to himself as she eyed the food hungrily, _Clearly… _

He expected her to continue fighting him, but after smelling the food, she began devouring it straight from the tray.

Ulquiorra screwed his face up, “You have atrocious manners!”

She looked up at him, cheeks rounded and mouth full, “Huh?”

Ulquiorra grimaced, “It’s like you’ve never seen food before. And don’t speak with your mouth full, it’s disgusting!”

The woman just shrugged before stuffing her face further. Ulquiorra grunted in displeasure, walking a wide circle around her and trying his hardest to ignore the sounds of her eating.

When that plan failed, her squinted at her, “How can you possibly eat like that?”

She turned on him again, “Like what? I’m starving.”

Ulquiorra snorted, “You are not starving. You ate earlier. And how does someone your size eat a meal like that?”

She swallowed hard before taking a few large gulps of water, “I am starving, I threw up my meal earlier.”

Ulquiorra made a face again, “Please cease your explanation.”

She went on as if she hadn’t heard him, “I can eat like this because I have a hollow leg.”

Ulquiorra’s eyes widened a bit, “Oh? But how do you digest then? I didn’t know humans had organs in their legs.”

Ulquiorra stopped when he saw her face grow red with suppressed laughter, “What is funny woman?”

With his serious tone, she finally managed to swallow the food in her mouth before bursting into laughter, making Ulquiorra recoil indignantly.

When she got control of herself again, she turned to him, “Sorry it’s just, I don’t **actually **have a hollow leg.”

Ulquiorra frowned, “Then why would you tell me so?”

She smiled again, and for some inexplicable reason, Ulquiorra relaxed when she did, “It’s just a saying, that’s all. I thought it was funny because… well, because-”

She gestured a bit awkwardly at him, and Ulquiorra scowled hard, “Because I’m a hollow?”

His deadpan tone earned another snicker, “Uh, yeah…”

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes, “You’re peculiar, woman.”

She let out a hefty sigh before dropping her weight onto the bed with a ‘thump’, “You think so?”

He found himself gazing at her, “Is that surprising?”

She was lazily kicking one of her feet as she answered, “I guess not. I think everyone thinks that of me.”

Her tone had changed just faintly, and something compelled Ulquiorra to step closer until he could look her in the eyes, “It’s not a bad thing, as far as I’m concerned.”

She gave him a surprised look, and Ulquiorra immediately looked away with a cough, _Where did that come from?_

Mild embarrassment made him turn his collar, “At any rate, you’ve had your meal and a bath. I see no reason to linger here any longer. Any objections?”

She sighed softly, seeming to be growing more comfortable by the moment, “Ulquiorra?”

He narrowed his eyes a bit, “What is your objection?”

She watched him for a brief moment before closing her eyes, “No objection. I just wanted to thank you.”

Ulquiorra recoiled, certain his face betrayed his shock, “**_Thank me?_**”

She smiled softly, not opening her eyes, “For the meal.”

Ulquiorra relaxed a bit, turning to leave, “No need. I don’t require thanks.”

When she said nothing more, Ulquiorra reached for the door to leave. As he shut the door behind him, he couldn’t explain the odd sensation that crossed him. He lingered in front of her door for a moment, staring at the details on it, wondering why he was standing there. No matter what he thought, he couldn’t pull himself from the door, from the proximity to her.

After a long moment, Ulquiorra scolded himself for his foolishness and turned down the hall towards his own chambers.


	4. Continuity

Days quickly turned into weeks, and weeks were on towards months. Ulquiorra had settled into a routine with the woman. They’d fling insults back and forth, he’d layer empty threats onto her, she’d push right back until Ulquiorra swore he’d burst in exasperation.

And yet, it was like they were drawn to each other.

Ulquiorra never missed bringing her meals, and he’d taken to checking in on her in between meals too. Despite his threats, as the days went on, Ulquiorra felt less and less frustrated with her. The threats rolled passively off his tongue, and she seemed entirely undisturbed by them now.

And the woman, though she fired insults back, never told him to leave. She never got defensive, never pushed him away, never avoided his company. Ulquiorra began to wonder if she even enjoyed his company. They’d gone from circling each other warily at the edges of the room to standing just a pace from each other. Ulquiorra had gone from reclining against walls to sitting on the arm of the couch when they talked. There were times she’d even offer him food or other commodities.

Now, Ulquiorra watched her quietly as she ate. They’d finished their usual war of words and had settled down again. Ulquiorra figured she lashed out at him to cope with the frustration of her situation, once she got it off her chest, she seemed almost friendly towards him.

He scoffed softly, lost in thought, _So, I’m just her sounding board then?_

Even as he narrowed his eyes at the thought, he realized he didn’t mind. 

He blinked when he realized she was staring back at him, “What is it?”

She smiled a bit, extending her hand and offering a slice of bread to him, “You’re staring at the food. Are you hungry?”

Ulquiorra drew back a bit, uncertain how to answer, “Hollows don’t get hungry. Not like you humans do anyway.”

She smiled wider, shoving the bread into his hands, “Here. Take it anyway.”

Ulquiorra glanced down at the bread, hesitating for a moment before plucking a piece off and tasting it carefully.

She watched him the whole time, her eyes unusually bright, making Ulquiorra uncharacteristically self-conscious, “What are you staring at?”

She snickered, “You look so angry at the bread when you eat.”

Ulquiorra huffed, “What makes you think I’m angry?”

She finished chewing what she was eating, “Your face.”

Ulquiorra spitefully took another bite, “This is my natural countenance.”

She giggled again, “Are you always angry then?”

Ulquiorra eyed her, “I’m not angry.”

She took another bite, squinting happily, “Then you should smile.”

Ulquiorra scowled, “Not a chance.”

When she smiled yet again, he added, “In heaven **or **hell.”

That did her in, and she laughed aloud. Ulquiorra’s lips quirked faintly despite himself at her laughter.

She settled down again, and he couldn’t help the question, “It wasn’t really funny, but you laughed anyway. You seem to be in exceptionally high spirits today?”

She watched him for a moment, “So do you.”

He blinked a couple of times, not answering her, “What is the occasion for your good mood?”

She stood up and went to sit on the couch, “No occasion.”

He came to stand next to the couch, “There must be something. Am I wrong?”

She gazed at him for a moment, then patted the seat next to her, inviting him to sit with her, “It’s nothing. I guess I’m just in a good mood.”

Ulquiorra hesitated, but eventually smoothed his tailcoat and sat on the opposite end of the couch from her. He was aware that this was the closest they’d been since the time in the park, with the exception of the times they’d gotten into skirmishes with each other. The almost friendly atmosphere made it feel different when he sat next to her like this.

He was startled when something touched the outside of his thigh, noticing that she’d reclined herself against the arm of the couch and had brought feet up so they barely brushed against him.

Ulquiorra glared at her, and she met his eyes for a moment, her own glinting with faint mischief, “What?”

He narrowed his eyes at her, but he didn’t move, “You’re really testing your boundaries, you know that woman?”

She pressed her feet firmly against his leg in defiance, “It gets really cold in here and my feet are freezing.”

Ulquiorra huffed quietly, “Well, it’s pointless to try and use me as a foot warmer. Hollow’s have very low natural body temperatures, so I won’t be warming anything. Quite the opposite, in fact.”

She shrugged, not moving her feet, “That’s all right.”

He debated whether or not to move her feet himself, “Says who?”

In a final display of boldness, she dipped her feet beneath his thigh, making him twitch a bit at the contact, “Says me. And you’re in my room, so my word is final.”

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes at her naïve gall, “Shall I just leave you, then?”

He was faintly amused to see her pout when he looked back at her, and he stayed put, “Don’t be like that. You always stay for a couple hours in the evening.”

Ulquiorra stood up, earning an unhappy grunt from her as he did. She watched him as he walked over to the bed and plucked the throw blanket off the foot of the bed. He returned and tossed it over her head, expecting her to say something in retort, but she giggled again, seemingly playful as she pulled the blanket off her head, hair fizzing in it’s wake. 

Despite his earlier complaining, he sat back down on the couch as she tucked the blanket beneath her feet, promptly shoving them beneath his thigh once she was done.

He quirked an eyebrow at her, but she just snuggled deeper into the blanket and watched him with lowered eyes. 

Ulquiorra looked away, closing his eyes and shaking his head lightly, “Odd woman…”

She smiled a bit, “I thought you liked that?”

He scowled, “I never said such a thing.”

She lifted her toes, making him jolt as they pressed into his leg, “You basically did.”

He twitched his nose in mock contempt, “Nonsense.”

When he looked back, she seemed sleepy, “Well, do you like that?”

He narrowed his eyes, “Are you tired? I could leave and let you rest.”

She shook her head, “No, I…” she glanced away for a moment, “I kinda like it when you stay.”

Ulquiorra made a face, an odd sensation coming to life in him, “Oh…”

She seemed to backtrack at his reaction, “Sorry… It just gets really lonesome here.”

Ulquiorra blinked at her, “You’re lonely?”

She nodded, a bit shyly, “But it’s not so bad when you’re here with me.”

Ulquiorra looked away, down at the floor, “You shouldn’t feel that way.”

Her voice sounded imploringly at him, “Why not?”

He didn’t meet her eyes, “Because you and I are not the same.”

Her answer shook him, “So what?”

He couldn’t help but look at her, her eyes glinting genuinely at him in the low light provided by the lamp he’d brought her to help her keep track of the day and night cycles she was used to, “I don’t understand how you can think that way. We’re different species entirely. How could you find comfort in me?”

She furrowed her brows a bit, speaking very quietly at first, “We’re not that different…” he was about to say something, but she spoke up and continued, “Besides, humans find comfort in other species all the time. Like dogs and cats. Oh, and fish.”

There was a lot he could say, but he surprised himself with what he chose to focus on, “Fish? How strange.”

She smiled again, “It’s not strange. Fish are neat.”

Ulquiorra blinked slowly at her, leaning back against the couch, “How so? They don’t even possess cognition.”

She shrugged, seeming happy again, “So? They’re pretty, and they can learn tricks.”

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes, “Tricks?”

She chirped happily at him, “Yeah! I had a beta fish that I taught to jump through a hoop.”

Ulquiorra made a face, “Strange… woman.”

She laughed, pushing her feet against him again, “Maybe… Just a little, though.”

Ulquiorra shook his head, “More like a lot.”

She snuggled down again, “Uh, by the way, do you have any more books?”

He glanced over at her, “You finished the last one?”

She blushed a bit, drawing Ulquiorra’s undivided attention to the rosy tint of her cheeks, “Actually, I couldn’t understand it.”

She laughed again, seeming faintly embarrassed, “I see. I could summarize it for you.”

She sat upright, “Really?”

Ulquiorra scoffed, “It’s certainly a better alternative to talking about fish with you, anyway.”

She smiled again, “What’s your favorite food?”

Ulquiorra slouched a bit, crossing his arms, and sighing, “Now, what brought that on?”

She squinted at him again, “You didn’t seem to like the toast I gave you earlier.”

He eyed her, “So? Food is food. You eat it to survive, nothing more.”

She frowned at him, “Haven’t you ever eaten something really yummy?”

He scowled, “No. I haven’t.”

She pouted, “All right then. I’m gonna find something you like.”

Ulquiorra closed his eyes again, “You’re wasting your time. I don’t care for such things.”

She sighed, closing her eyes as well, “It beats having nothing to do when you’re not here.”

Ulquiorra just hummed a reply, both of them falling silent after a moment. Ulquiorra half opened an eye, glancing at her as she lay next to him. Her breathing was growing deeper by the moment, her feet relaxed beneath his leg, her head leaning against the cushion of the couch. 

He sighed softly, closing his eyes again and listening to her steady breathing. He relaxed as he did, soothed by the consistency.

Ulquiorra was startled by a knock on the door, sitting upright immediately. His eyes widened in the dark room, and he noticed the lamp was off, meaning he’d been here far longer than he’d planned to be.

He looked down at the woman, she was breathing as deeply as she had been, her feet warm beneath him, completely undisturbed by the knock at the door.

Ulquiorra shook his head a bit, annoyed with himself, _Did I fall asleep here?_

Ulquiorra let out a soft ‘hmph’, standing up slowly before tucking the blanket beneath her feet again.

He opened the door and scowled at the Fracción, “What is it?”

He recognized the Fracción as one of Aizen’s servants, “Lord Aizen was requesting you. Why weren’t you in your chambers?”

Ulquiorra’s eyes narrowed angrily, “Watch your tongue.”

The Fracción bowed to him, “My apologies, Lord Ulquiorra, but Lord Aizen was wondering what you were up to.”

Ulquiorra shifted his weight, “I’m simply carrying out my duties as they were assigned to me. You’re in no position to question me. Now, tell me, what did Lord Aizen want with me?”

The Fracción dipped his head a bit, “I did not ask. But he was requesting you and the prisoner at his chambers.”

Ulquiorra scowled, “Refer to her as a guest, not a prisoner. As long as she complies, she’s to be treated as a comrade, not an enemy.”

The Fracción acknowledged him with a nod, “Yes, Lord Ulquiorra. Will you head to Lord Aizen’s chambers with the girl?”

Ulquiorra’s eye twitched in annoyance, “You’re dismissed.”

The Fracción gave a final nod before departing, leaving Ulquiorra to heave a displeased sigh. He turned back into the room, noticing the woman was sitting up and rubbing her eyes, apparently having been disturbed by his conversation.

He walked over to her, glancing back at the door, “How fast can you clean up?”

She blinked a couple of times, “You’re still here? It feels late…”

He averted his gaze, faintly embarrassed, “Hurry up. Lord Aizen’s requested both of us.”

She let out a grunt as she stretched, “What for?”

Ulquiorra shrugged, “I don’t know. But hurry up, he’s been waiting for some time already. I don’t want to keep him waiting any longer.”

She stood up, still looking sleepy, “All right… I guess.”

Ulquiorra turned his back to her, “Just clean yourself up and straighten your clothes, don’t bother changing or bathing.”

She shrugged as she grabbed a hair brush, “All right.”

Ulquiorra circled the room, impatiently waiting, “And spritz some perfume as well.”

She sighed, “What for?”

He gave her a blank stare, “So that you don’t smell.”

She screwed her face up, “I don’t smell! And what about you?”

He frowned, “What about me?”

She gestured at him, “Aren’t you going to freshen up? I mean, you were sleeping too.”

Mischief glinted in her eyes as she said that, making Ulquiorra scoff, “Nonsense, I’m fine.”

She snickered at him a bit, brushing her hand over his back as she passed him.

He jumped at her touch against his lower back, “What are you doing?”

She laughed, “Your coat was all bunched up. I just fixed it for you.”

His hands instinctively smoothed his coat, an odd feeling spreading through him in the wake of her touch on his back, “Oh.”

She gave him a small smile as she passed him, but it fell once she looked at the door, “You don’t have any clue what Aizen wants?”

Ulquiorra came to stand beside her, “No, I don’t.”

He waited for her to open the door, but she took a long pause before casting him a nervous look. Ulquiorra sighed, reaching for the door and leading the way out into the large hallway. Both of them narrowed their eyes as they stepped into the much brighter hall, Ulquiorra heading towards Aizen’s chambers before glancing back to make sure she was following. She was, but he could see the way she was dragging her feet, eyes fixed on the floor as she did. 

He grumbled at her, “What’s wrong?”

She shrugged a bit, “I’m just worried.”

He glanced back at her, “What for?”

She avoided his gaze, “I don’t know. I just am.”

Ulquiorra scoffed, “How nonsensical. You worry when you don’t even have a reason? That’s pointless. And foolish.”

He heard her huff a breath out, “It’s called intuition. You know, like you get a bad feeling about something and then it comes true?”

Ulquiorra quirked a brow, “That would imply humans can perceive future events. I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

She sighed, “It’s not that. It’s more like someone gets a bad feeling because they just _know _somethings wrong.”

Ulquiorra glared at her, “That makes no sense, woman. How can you know something if you haven’t seen it for yourself?”

She tossed her head back a bit, “I told you! It’s a feeling!”

Ulquiorra sharpened his glare, “What, does it crawl across your skin and tell you something’s going to happen?”

Her face resembled one of physical pain, “Ugh, no! You feel it in here-”

She patted her chest as she said that, Ulquiorra instinctively mirrored her gesture and touched his own chest, noting the prominent hole beneath the fabric, “Here? But there’s no such organ that can detect future events.”

She half-gaped at him, “I- No, no I mean, you feel it in your **heart.”**

Ulquiorra made a face, “You don’t feel from your heart. Your heart just contracts to pump blood through your cardiovascular system. Don’t you know this?”

She shook her head, helplessly, “Oh my God…”

Ulquiorra scowled at her, “Whatever, odd woman, hurry up and quit your nonsense.”

She sighed, falling quiet for a short moment before speaking up again, “Okay, okay… what about this-”

She patted her abdomen as Ulquiorra looked back, “What? What are you on about now?”

She smiled, “A gut feeling.”

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes, “No, no humans don’t feel from their guts either! Do you not have the faintest idea how your own body works?”

She made an odd, exasperated sound, “No! No! It’s not- It’s like, ugh!”

Ulquiorra felt his own exasperation, “Ugh yourself! You make no sense, woman. None.”

She laughed in a strained way, “You’ve really never heard of a gut feeling? Or intuition?”

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes, “I told you it’s nonsense. You **do not _feel _**in your chest, or your guts. Feelings are physical sensations triggered by stimuli on your nerves and processed in your brain.”

When she gave him a look, he added as an afterthought, “Though, I suppose you could feel pain from your chest or your gut. Are you in pain?”

She huffed, “No, not in pain. And that’s still not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about emotional feelings, not physical ones.”

Ulquiorra scoffed, “No such thing. Not for me, at least.”

She made a different face this time, “What do you mean?”

He shrugged slightly, “I don’t believe in such things as sentiments and emotions.”

Her brows furrowed, “Haven’t you ever felt an emotion though?”

He blinked absently, “Vaguely, I suppose. Annoyance with you, sure.”

She snickered slightly, “I mean, an emotion from the heart.”

Ulquiorra sighed, “Here we go again… There is no such thing.”

She bumped his shoulder lightly, “There is! I’m telling you! Haven’t you felt an emotion that locks your chest up? Makes your heart beat really fast and hard?”

Ulquiorra turned suddenly, startling her. He grabbed the zipper at the top of his collar and began to pull it down, making her blush suddenly, “Oh, uh, don’t- don’t take off your- what are you doing?”

Ulquiorra gave her an unamused look, “Shut up. Just look.”

He opened his jacket to reveal his Hollow hole, watching her eyes widen, “Oh…”

She stepped closer to him, narrowing her eyes as though she expected it to be an illusion, “To put it simply, no, I have never felt something in my heart, because I don’t have a heart.”

She reached out a hand tentatively, pulling it back just before touching him, “How do you survive? Does it hurt?”

Ulquiorra shook his head, “No, it doesn’t hurt. And in the case of Hollows, our Reiatsu can substitute most of our vital functions such as blood flow. The only exception is the brain.”

Her brows furrowed again, she looked sorry for him, brushing her fingers nervously along the edge of the hole before she drew back with a cringe, “That looks awful…”

Ulquiorra scoffed quietly, “You’ve seen Hollows before. It’s not unusual for a Hollow hole to be in such a place, and every Hollow has a hole somewhere. You must’ve seen them before.”

Her eyes wouldn’t stray from his chest, “It’s just… you’re… well, you’re more human… It’s kinda startling I guess.”

Ulquiorra scowled, “Nonsense. I am no more human than every other Hollow. There’s nothing to be startled over, as I said, the heart is merely an organ that pumps blood, and my Reiatsu does that fine.”

She sighed a bit, “But… Hollow holes, they’re sort of metaphorical, aren’t they? When a human spirit becomes a hollow, the hole appears from their soul chain, and the soul chain attaches to a location on the spirit based on what holds the spirit on Earth and won’t let them pass over, right?”

Ulquiorra nodded, “That is correct, yes.”

She still stared at his chest, “So… then, when you died… your soul chain must have been attached to your heart. That means it was your heart holding you in the world of the living. Was it someone you loved that kept you there?”

Ulquiorra lifted a brow, “I wouldn’t know. Hollowfication of a soul wipes any prior memories completely. Though, I have heard of the occasional incomplete Hollowfication where partial memories remain. That was not the case for me, however.”

She frowned, “Well, it still means that you lost your heart when you became a Hollow… That’s symbolic, isn’t it?”

Ulquiorra shrugged, closing his jacket again, “It’s pointless to muse over such things. It matters nothing to me now. Symbol or not, I pay no mind to such trivial thoughts.”

She tipped her head a bit, “Well, humor me, then? A Hollow hole **is **symbolic of what a human loses during Hollowfication, right?”

Ulquiorra shrugged again, more definitively, “You may think of it as such, yes. It is the direct result of losing a piece of the soul, marking the passage from ‘human’ to ‘hollow’.”

Her fingers pressed into the fabric of his coat, sinking in, as though she wasn’t sure that she had actually seen the hole in his chest, “You must’ve suffered an unimaginable pain… to lose your heart like that.”

Ulquiorra merely blinked, turning his shoulder and continuing their walk, “As I said, it matters not anymore. Now, I feel nothing. This hole in my chest represents that nothingness inside of me. That’s all there is to it, nothingness. No meaning, no value, it simply is, or it is not.”

She looked baffled by his words, “That’s…”

Ulquiorra scoffed gently, “Never mind it. Let’s go.”

They were greeted by two servant Arrancar when they arrived at Aizen’s chambers. Ulquiorra recognized them, he regarded them as nuisances. He could only vaguely recall their names, Loly and Menoly, and only so because of his great annoyance with the duo. 

The two Numeros were constantly vying for Aizen’s attention, but before they’d become his personal servants, they’d spent a great deal of time courting Ulquiorra. He had no interest in such things, but the Numeros were desperate to increase their standings, and so, in turn, had sought out the Espada. He, Grimmjow, and Starrk had become particularly popular, much to Ulquiorra’s dismay, and he was relieved when the Numeros got their wish and became Aizen’s servants.

They were hot-headed, and Ulquiorra regularly found them getting into fights with the Espada. They seemed to consider their insolence bravery, but Ulquiorra regarded it as lunacy. 

And now, from the moment the doors opened, Ulquiorra could feel their agitation prickling his skin.

Their eyes locked and narrowed instantly on Orihime, their disgust and dislike immediately painting their faces. Orihime hesitated a step behind Ulquiorra at their open hostility, but when Ulquiorra fixed the pair with a harsh glare of his own, they immediately backed off enough for the woman to follow close behind him.

He heard a low growl from Loly as they passed, but the Numero dare not make a fuss in Aizen’s chambers. Though that didn’t stop her from shoulder checking Orihime as she tried to slip between them.

Aizen watched them with a smile that didn’t reach his narrowed eyes. Ulquiorra knew that look, the one that seemed so passive and gentle, but that hid intent and apathy. Ulquiorra straightened himself, glancing at the woman beside him until he caught her eye, watching as she stood straightened as well. 

Aizen uncrossed his legs, setting down the cup in his hands, “Welcome, Ulquiorra, Orihime.”

Ulquiorra bowed politely, watching the woman stare in awe for a moment before quickly copying his lead, “Lord Aizen. You summoned us?”

Brown eyes narrowed, different this time, they shimmered with interest, “Yes, I did. Would you come with me please?”

They exchanged a quick glance before following Aizen into a back room.

Just before they closed the door, Loly’s hand stopped it, “Lord Aizen! What about us?”

Aizen’s eyes sharpened, dangerously, but his tone remained calm, “Oh?”

He thought for a moment, Ulquiorra half expected him to kill them, but his lips quivered, “Yes, come in.”

Their faces ignited in thrill, Loly casting a vicious smile at Orihime as they shoved the door open. Aizen left the two Numeros and Ulquiorra at the edge of the room, gesturing for Orihime to come closer. She eyed Ulquiorra for a moment, uncertainly, before Aizen gestured to her again. She stepped carefully towards him, though Ulquiorra commended her for meeting his eyes.

Aizen smiled fondly at her, “Come here. I don’t bite.”

She took a couple steps closer, and he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her against him. She cast a nervous glance at him, but didn’t shy away.

Ulquiorra felt Loly tense incredibly beside him, her face twisted in a jealous rage, “What the hell?”

Ulquiorra glared at her, “Shut your mouth.”

She bared her teeth at him, “But that bitch-”

Ulquiorra turned on her aggressively, making her snap her teeth shut. He didn’t need to say anything, Aizen had sensed the disturbance, and his spiritual pressure made the air so heavy it felt like breathing tar.

Loly and Menoly immediately shrank back, their eyes widening in horror at his anger. 

They both dropped to their knees, lowering their heads until they were inches above the floor, “We’re so sorry, Lord Aizen.”

Aizen glanced at Ulquiorra, who dipped his head politely. Aizen turned his attention back to the woman in his arms, “Ignore them, dear. They’re nothing.”

Ulquiorra heard the furious sound that escaped Loly, but she said nothing as she trembled in anger.

Despite his earlier reprimands, Ulquiorra felt discomfort at the way Aizen was holding the woman, and the look he was giving her made Ulquiorra shift his weight.

Aizen’s hand slid from her shoulder, down her arm, and came to rest around her waist, “Miss Inoue, if you would, please take a look at this.”

Aizen’s Reiatsu filled the air again, and the woman instinctively gripped his arm to steady herself. The gesture would cost a low ranked Numero their life, but to her, Aizen merely smiled, holding her closer to keep her steady.

As the floor before them dropped away, Aizen looked apologetically at her, “I’m sorry for that, I should’ve given you a heads up. But here, I wanted to show you this.”

She took a few deep breaths before standing straighter. A small stand rose from the hole in the floor, the atmosphere changing immediately. Even Ulquiorra shivered a bit at the intense yet repressed sensation that gripped him as a small orb of light became visible.

Aizen gripped her hip, holding her close as he gazed at the orb. Ulquiorra couldn’t see her face from behind her, but when Aizen glanced at her, his smile widened, “Ah… You already know, don’t you?”

She looked up at him, and Ulquiorra felt his face tighten at how close they were, “It’s the Hogyoku, isn’t it?”

Aizen chuckled, squeezing her hip, “You’re such a smart girl. You’re correct, but it’s dormant right now. It’s power reservoir is limited, and I’ve been using it quite liberally.”

Ulquiorra swallowed hard at the way Aizen’s hand worked over her hip. He noted the tension in her shoulders, not sure if it was from awe or discomfort at his gestures. 

With a smooth sweep of his arm, Aizen swept her in front of him, “I was wondering,” he wrapped his arms around her, “Your ability, do you think you could use it on the Hogyoku?”

Ulquiorra tensed, displeased at their closeness.

Orihime shifted in his hold, looking almost frightened, “I don’t know… it’s energy is…”

Aizen pulled her closer again, “I know… it’s intense. An incredible force of nature, like nothing the worlds ever seen before.”

Inoue pulled away again, “I really don’t know if I can use my powers on the Hogyoku.”

Aizen gripped her gently by the chin, holding her close. Ulquiorra twitched, instinctively wanting to step forward and intervene, but he stayed where he was.

Orihime’s face betrayed her unhappiness, but Aizen kept smiling with the same gleam in his eyes, “Don’t worry, dear Inoue. I’m not asking you to do this right now. I just wanted to show you this as a sign of our new, mutually beneficial relationship.”

He pulled her face close as he spoke, but Ulquiorra could see her strain against him, “I…”

Aizen could see her expression from here, and he brushed his thumb over her lip, “You should smile, dear. A beautiful girl like you should always smile.”

Aizen pulled her towards him as though he were gonna kiss her, but when she shut her eyes tight and tried to turn away, he paused. He chuckled a bit, but he released her, stroking her cheek as he removed his hand from her face, “Oh dear, seems you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed.”

She took three steps back the moment she was free, she looked faint and frightened. She turned to catch Ulquiorra’s eye, looking for sanctuary in his eyes.

Aizen noticed this, and his brow quirked in interest. Ulquiorra knew this was all a game to him, but the woman looked freaked out by his idea of playing.

When Aizen didn’t stop her, she quickly made her way back to Ulquiorra, though the intense hatred radiating off of Loly and Menoly gave her pause a pace away.

Aizen followed close behind, that same smirk on his face, “Ulquiorra, why don’t you take her back now? I think I’ve shown her enough… for today.”

As he passed her, he snaked his arm around her again, flashing her a stunning smile. She glanced nervously at him, but he simply pushed her off towards Ulquiorra with an amused look.

She sidled close to Ulquiorra, she looked wiped out. He let her brush up against him, feeling faintly satisfied at how she came to him willingly. 

He gave Aizen a nod, “Then, I’ll return her to her room.”

Aizen smiled at him, “See that you do.”

He passed them with a wave, then, as an afterthought, “Oh, and you two, get out.”

Loly and Menoly rounded furiously, shoving Ulquiorra roughly as they passed, and hissing at Orihime, “Bitch!” 

Ulquiorra let out a low growl, debating if he should retaliate but deciding against it seeing as they were only a couple steps from Aizen’s room.

The woman grabbed his arm, staying close to him. Ulquiorra gazed at her for a moment, but she just pulled him closer.

He let out a faint huff, “What’s the matter?”

She furrowed her brows, seeming to consider what to say, “They… they seemed really mad.”

Ulquiorra scoffed, “Don’t pay any attention to them.”

She sighed, “That’s what Aizen said…”

He glanced at her, “Well, he’s right. Those two are nuisances. Always causing problems.”

She leaned on him, “Are you sure?”

Ulquiorra let her weight sink against his shoulder, “Are you afraid?”

She scowled, “Kinda… yeah.”

He nudged her with his shoulder, “Well, don’t be. They won’t dare harm you.”

She looked imploringly at him, “Why is that?”

He shrugged, “Because Lord Aizen has taken an interest in you.”

There was an unexpected bitterness in his voice as he spoke, and he noticed the way she cringed a bit at the thought, “I guess… Ulquiorra?”

He quirked a brow at her, “What?”

She avoided his eyes, “If something happens… will you protect me?”

Ulquiorra recoiled a bit in surprise, “What are talking about?”

She shrugged, “I don’t know… Will you, though?”

He gave her a look, “How strange of you. You’re not usually so nervous.”

She heaved a sigh, “You didn’t answer my question…”

He rolled his eyes a bit, “Your answer? Yes, as long as Lord Aizen wishes it so, I will not let any harm come to you.”

She gave a cynical huff, “Are you going to tell me to smile too?”

Ulquiorra didn’t think before answering, “No. It’s okay to be afraid. You shouldn’t smile if you don’t desire to do so.”

She smiled faintly at him, curiously, “Really?”

Ulquiorra shrugged, nonchalantly, “Sure. I don’t smile because I never feel like it. I don’t see why that should be any different for you.”

Her smile widened, making him wonder what could possibly be going through her mind, “I see. Thank you, Ulquiorra.”

He furrowed his brows, “You’re-”

She laughed suddenly, “A strange woman, I know.”

His lips quivered, just slightly, “Yeah. Don’t you forget it either.”

She smiled brightly again, “How could I? You say it all the time.”

They arrived before the door to her room, but she hesitated before it, “Ulquiorra?”

He tipped his head a bit, “What is it?”

She made a conflicted face, “Uh…” she laughed nervously, “Can you… Can you stay for a bit?”

She took hold of his hand, startling him faintly, “I…”

At his hesitation, she tugged his hand a bit, “Please?”

He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment, “All right.”

And with that, he followed her into the dark, moonlit room.


End file.
